Wake Forest University
St Johns
Wake Forest Drops Heartbreaker to St. John's in See-Saw Battle
9/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 3, 2000
Storrs, Conn.--- The 11th-ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team dropped to 1-1 on the season with a 3-2 overtime loss to 15th-ranked St. John's. Senior Ben Stafford and sophomore Aaron Thomas scored the goals for the Deacons.
For the second time in as many days, Wake came from behind to force overtime. Both teams had several scoring opportunities in the extra frame. Both keepers made crucial saves both early and late in the overtime. The Red Storm's Shalrie Joseph scored the gamewinner at 101:44 from six yards out on a pass from Rich Bradley.
The Deacs trailed 1-0 with less than 14 minutes remaining. Then, the teams combined to score three goals within a seven-minute span. First, Stafford tied the game with his third goal in two days. After a receiving a long ball from senior sweeper Brock Hilpert, Stafford unleashed a rocket that found the top left corner of the cage.
Five minutes after Stafford's tally, the Red Storm responded. A goal by Joseph, his first of the night, recaptured the lead for St. John's. The Deacons weren't finished, however. Sophomore midfielder Aaron Thomas headed home the equalizer less than three minutes later. Thomas, a Preseason College Soccer Online All-American, scored the goal after a scramble in the box. Junior Chris Lonteen and freshman Jeremiah White were credited with assists on the play.
"I thought our guys showed a lot of character again today by responding as well as they did," head coach Jay Vidovich said. "Unfortunately, the game didn't end the way we would have hoped. But it's early in the season and I'm proud of the potential we showed this weekend. We have a lot to look forward to this season."
Stafford's three goals this weekend moved him into fifth place all-time in goals scored with 23. He needs just two more goals to tie Nigel McNamara with 25 career goals.
A steady rain during the afternoon made for slippery conditions and after 45 minutes of play, the game was scoreless.
St. John's scored the game's first goal five minutes into the second half. A Jeff Matteo cross found Bradley in front of the goal. Wake Forest goalkeeper Rob Vartughian got a hand on Bradley's header but not enough to stop the ball from finding the top right corner of the net.
Sophomore Bobby Gehring started in place of the injured Kevin Wickart. After five players made their Deacon debuts last night, three more freshmen, defender Wiggy Saunders, midfielder Vicente Bastidas and forward Robbie Fischer made their first appearances for Wake Forest on Saturday.
Wake Forest returns to action for the 2000 home opener on Friday night against UNC Greensboro. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m.
#11 Wake Forest 0 2 0 - 2#15 St. John's 0 2 1 - 3Scoring: SJU Bradley (Matteo) 49:57, WF Stafford 3 (Hilpert) 76:03, SJU Joseph (Lonergan) 80:42, WF Thomas (Lonteen, White) 83:49, SJU Joesph 2 (Bradley) 101:44. Shots: WF 6, SJU 15. Saves: WF 6 (Vartughian 6), SJU 1 (Stoklosa), Corner Kicks: WF 2, SJU 3. Fouls: WF 8, SJU 6. Offsides: WF 1, SJU 1.
