Women's Soccer Head Into ACC Tournament Ranked 22nd

Oct. 31, 2000

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Deacons Firing On All Cylinders Heading Into Postseason'

Wake Forest (10-7-1, 4-3) rolls into the ACC Tournament peaking at the perfect time. The 22nd-ranked Demon Deacons will face No. 16 Florida State (12-6-1, 2-4-1) at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2 at Duke University's Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C. in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, where they will try to avenge a 2-0 loss to the Seminoles earlier this season. Wake Forest fought through a midseason slump to finish the regular season in a four-way tie for second place in the ACC with a 4-3 conference mark. Beating out North Carolina, Virginia and Duke with head-to-head meetings, the Deacs were awarded the second seed at the ACC Tournament where they will play the seventh seed, Florida State, in the quarterfinals.

Last Time Out

The Demon Deacons, 10-7-1 overall and 4-3 in the ACC, are coming off a three-win week in which they torched Davidson 4-0, knocked off North Carolina 1-0 and nipped NC State, 2-1 in double overtime. Wake Forest sophomore goalkeeper Tracy Chao grabbed 16 saves, only allowed one goal and earned 1.5 shutouts in the three wins, earning herself ACC Player of the Week honors.

The Deacs outshot Davidson 27-2, placing 17 shots on frame while allowing 0. Sarah Kate Noftsinger scored the game-winning goal assisted by Emily Taggart and Liz McDowell. Noftsinger returned the favor by assisting Taggart's goal and then Alena Thom and Joline Charlton added a goal each. Chao shared the shutout with backup keeper Leslie Goelz and after turning over the goaltending duties to Goelz, Chao returned to the game as a field player, where she nearly scored on a shot that sailed over the Wildcats' crossbar. Joline Charlton got loose on a breakaway against North Carolina and was fouled inside the penalty box, setting up a penalty kick for Wake, which Stacy Roeck cashed in for the game-winner. Roeck's goal was the Demon Deacons' first ever against the Tar Heels. Chao handed the defending national champions their first-ever shutout by a conference opponent. Charlton scored from Taggart in the first half of the NC State game and Thom hit the golden goal of the double overtime thriller with the Wolfpack.

Florida State Seminoles

Florida State, 12-6-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the ACC, is coming off a 1-0 loss to Virginia at home Saturday, Oct. 28. Ranked as high as 13th by Soccer Buzz and as low as 18th by Soccer Times and the American Soccer Writers, Florida State stands 16th in the NSCAA poll. In the regional rankings, FSU is ranked fourth by the NSCAA and third by Soccer Buzz. The Seminoles, coached by Patrick Baker (Otterbein College, 1989) are led by freshman midfielder Emma Breland (11 goals, 5 assists, 4 GWG) and senior goalkeeper Sarah Crawford (1.15 GAA, .816 SV PCT, 6 SHO). Wake Forest leads the series with Florida State 5-1, losing 2-0 at FSU in the last meeting, Oct. 7, 2000. The Demon Deacons outshot the Seminoles 17-7, placing 12 shots on frame, but none got past FSU goalkeeper Sarah Crawford, who collected 12 saves in the shutout victory. Florida State freshman midfielder Emma Breland scored the game-winning goal in the first half assisted by Sarah Deacon and Maren Vik Edvardsen. Vik Edvardsen added the insurance goal, assisted by Meredith Jones, with less than two minutes remaining in the match. Emily Taggart led Wake Forest with six shots, four on goal and Tracy Chao had two saves on the day. Thursday's game will be the first time the two teams have met in the postseason.

In The Rankings

Wake returned to the national polls this week after a four-week hiatus. The Deacs are ranked as high as 15th by Soccer America, as low as 23rd by Soccer Buzz and are 22nd in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. In the regional standings WFU is listed fifth by the NSCAA and sixth by Soccer Buzz.

Player Of The Week

Tracy Chao, a reserve defender on last year's team, took over goaltending duties at the beginning of the season when both Demon Deacon goalkeepers Erin Regan and Kenna Healy suffered season-ending knee injuries during the preseason. Although Chao had never played goalie before, the athletic sophomore learned quick. Rapidly improving throughout the season, Chao was honored for her achievements Oct. 30 when she earned ACC Player of the Week honors for her three wins in the previous week, including shutouts over Davidson as well as North Carolina and allowing only one goal versus NC State. Chao, a 5-5 Raleigh, N.C. native, holds a 1.40 goals against average, .763 saves percentage and three shutouts on the year.

Coming Of Age

When freshman forward Alena Thom checked into the Davidson match during the first half last Tuesday to add a little spark to the Demon Deacon offense, it only took her 61 seconds to do just that. Thom took a through ball from Katie Johnson and sent it into the corner of the Wildcats' net for her first collegiate goal. Thom, who hails from Jefferson City, Mo., came up even bigger for the Deacs at NC State on Sunday when she slid into the Wolfpack goal box, connecting with a cross from Joline Charlton to score the golden goal.

Too Hot To Handle

The 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year has turned in another stellar season for the Old Gold and Black this year. Sophomore forward Joline Charlton picked up another two goals and an assist last week, bringing her season totals to a team leading eight goals and three assists. The Stone Mountain, Ga., native already ranks third on Wake's all-time scoring lists with 18 career goals and 46 career points.

Wake Forest Athletics

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