Wake Forest University
No Carolina St
Men's Soccer Downs N.C. State
10/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Stafford continues to be the dominant force offensively for the Deacs. He has ten goals on the season, already eclipsing his team-leading eight goals of 1999. The two Sunday goals give Stafford five goals in the last three games and give him 30 career goals, only the second Wake Forest player in history to reach the 30-goal level.
Wake Forest controlled the action while jumping out to a 2-0 lead. The Deacons outshot the Pack 6-1 and had 10 corner kicks in the first half alone. The team finished with 13 corner kicks, a season-best.
Just as it appeared Wake had a comfortable second half lead, the Wolfpack refused to go away. Scott MacNeill cut the Deacon lead in half at the 73:49 mark. Six minutes later, the Wolfpack's Nick Olivencia was awarded a penalty kick after a Wake Forest foul in the box. But senior goalkeeper Rob Vartughian's diving save preserved the lead.
Vartughian briefly left a rebound before reclaiming possession but an N.C. State player booted Vartughian while he lay on the ground with the ball. North Carolina State's Lee Baldwin was booked with a yellow card for the incident. Vartughian was momentarily shaken up on the play but stayed in the game. After a minor fracas, cooler heads prevailed and the Deacons held on for a crucial ACC win, boosting the team's conference record to 2-1, halfway through the conference season.
"Everyone knows the old saying, 'a win is a win.'" That's how we feel today. It doesn't have to be pretty to go in the "W" column," head coach Jay Vidovich said. "At this point in the season, any conference win is a important one. Good teams find ways to win games like these so I'm proud of our guys for getting the job done."
Wake Forest returns to Spry Stadium on Tuesday night for a 7:00 date with UNC Asheville. Fans and media planning to attend the game are asked to park at the Assembly of God Church across the street from Spry Stadium to comply with security measures associated with the Presidential Debate scheduled for Wednesday on campus.
Wake Forest 2, NC State 1
| Wake Forest | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| NC State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scoring: Wake's Stafford from Hakes at 35:39
Wake's Stafford unassisted at 53:15
NC State's MacNeill from Olivencia and Baldwin at 73:49
Shots: WFU 11 (Stafford 3), NCSU 7 (Baldwin 4)
Saves: WFU 2 (Vartughian 2), NCSU 2 (Gregson 2)
Corner Kicks: WFU 13, NCSU 4
Fouls: WFU 13, NCSU 14
