Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacons Head To Golden State For Tournament
9/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 26, 2000
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - No. 17 Wake Forest (6-3) travels west this weekend to compete in the Santa Clara/Nike Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif. The Demon Deacons will take on No. 13 Stanford (6-2) on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6:00 p.m. and No. 15 Santa Clara (5-3-1) on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 12:30 p.m. The 13th ranked Cardinal and 15th ranked Broncos are just the beginning of a tough slate for the Deacs, who play ranked teams in their next six games.
Last Time Out
The 17th ranked Demon Deacons (6-3) split a pair of games at home last weekend, shutting out No. 21 Maryland 1-0 on Friday, Sept. 22 in the ACC opener, but then falling 1-2 to Iowa on Sunday, Sept. 24. Wake Forest out shot both opponents by large margins, but struggled offensively to finish goal-scoring opportunities.
Stanford Cardinal
Stanford, ranked as high as 13th by the NSCAA, Soccer America and as low as 8th by the Soccer Times, has an overall record of 6-2. Splitting a pair of games at the adidas Bay Area Classic in San Jose, Calif., Stanford lost to Santa Clara 2-4 on Friday, Sept. 22 and beat San Jose State 3-0 on Sunday, Sept. 24. The Cardinal, coached by Andy Nelson, are led by sophomore forward Marcia Wallis (9 goals, 1 assist) and senior goalkeeper Carly Smolak (0.90 GAA, .860 save percentage, 4.0 shutouts). Wake Forest leads the series with Stanford, 1-0, winning the last meeting 2-1 on Sept. 21, 1997 in Palo Alto, Calif.
Santa Clara Broncos
Santa Clara, ranked as high as 18th by Soccer Buzz and as low as 10th by Soccer America and Soccer Times, has an overall record of 5-3-1. Coming off an undefeated weekend at the adidas Bay Area Classic in San Jose, Calif., Santa Clara upset No. 5 Stanford 4-2 on Friday, Sept. 22 and then tied No. 10 California 1-1 on Sunday, Sept. 24. The Broncos, coached by Jerry Smith, are led by senior forward Kathleen Celio (8 goals, 2 assists) and junior goalkeeper Alice Gleason (1.67 GAA, .636 saves percentage). Sunday?s game will be the first meeting between Wake Forest and Santa Clara.
In The Rankings
Wake Forest is ranked as low as 17th by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Soccer Buzz and as high as 24th by Soccer Times. The Demon Deacons stand at 21st in the American Soccer Writers Poll and Wake has dropped out of Soccer America's Top 20. In the regional standings, the Deacs are ranked fourth by the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz.
Rugged Schedule
At the halfway point of the season, the schedule does not just get harder for the Deacs, it gets really tough. Wake Forest will play six straight ranked teams in its next six games before hosting Davidson College on Oct. 25. Stanford (13), Santa Clara (15), Duke (11), Florida State (21), Virginia (14) and Clemson (2) are lined up like the massive speed bumps on Wake's campus.
Tenacious D
She wasn't Ferris Bueller, but thanks to the ferocious Demon Deacon defense, Wake Forest goalkeeper Tracy Chao basically got the day off last Friday versus No. 21 Maryland. Collecting her first solo shutout of her career came fairly easy as the Terrapins only got five shots off, none on goal, giving Chao no saves and no goals against. The sophomore from Raleigh, N.C., has a 1.27 goals against average, .786 saves percentage and 1.5 shutouts in eight games played. A reserve defender on last year's squad, Chao stepped in to play goalkeeper after Wake lost its top two goalies to season-ending knee injuries in the preseason. Although she had never played keeper before this season, Chao adapted well and has improved with every minute spent in net.
Instant Offense
In both games last weekend Wake Forest junior Stacy Roeck started the game at sweeper, where she has anchored the Demon Deacon defense the last two years, but then moved up to forward midway through the first half to lead the charge on offense. Both times, Friday night and again Sunday afternoon, Roeck quickly contributed to a badly needed Wake Forest goal. Shorty after moving up front on Friday versus No. 21 Maryland, Roeck was threatening to score on the Terrapins and was fouled inside the penalty box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Deacs, which Lindsey Griffin converted for the game-winning goal. Down 0-2 in the first half of the Iowa game on Sunday, Roeck switched to striker and promptly kicked one in to cut the Hawkeyes lead in half. Roeck, who hails from Solana Beach, Calif., leads the team in scoring with five goals and three assists on the season.
Automatic
Lindsey Griffin scored on a penalty kick Friday night against No. 21 Maryland, giving the Demon Deacons a 1-0 ACC record on the year. The sophomore forward from Englewood, Colo., is tied for a team-leading five goals on the year, three of which have come by way of penalty kicks. The team?s designated PK taker, Griffin is three-for-three on the season from the penalty spot.
Goin' Back To Cali
Wake Forest head coach Tony da Luz, a California native (San Diego), graduated from San Diego where he was a two-time All-WCC selection for the Toreros. Starting the women's program at San Diego in 1992, da Luz compiled a 46-42-3 record over five years, before taking over at Wake Forest in 1997. Da Luz has taken the Demon Deacons to California for a pair of weekend games every season that he's been there and has found a great deal of success in both winning the matches and recruiting Golden State talent. The Deacs currently have three California imports on the roster. Juniors Erin Regan (Rancho Santa Margarita), Stacy Roeck (Solana Beach) and Emily Taggart (Pleasanton) all hail from southern California and each earned all-ACC honors last season.
Interesting Numbers
Wake Forest has a tendency to turn up its offensive attack a few clicks in the second half. Outshooting their opponents 177 (19.7 per game) to 82 (9.1 per game), the Demon Deacons have fired 116 shots after halftime, while holding their opponents to only 37 second half shots. Leading the corner kick category 61-19, the Deacs have taken 42 second half corner kicks, while only allowing their opponents seven after halftime.
Next Up
The Demon Deacons will hurry back from Cali this weekend to get ready for a midweek ACC matchup at home with No. 11 Duke. Wake Forest will take on the Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4. The Deacs will then head south to play at No. 21 Florida State on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m.
