Deacons Travel To Field Hockey Final Four
11/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
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WAKE FOREST FIELD HOCKEY
2001 NCAA DIVISION I FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Kent State University * Kent, OH * November 16 and 18, 2001
Last Time Out
After Sunday's 5-1 win over Virginia, the Demon Deacons are now 5-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Wake made its first tournament appearance in 1999, defeating James Madison 3-0 in the first round. In the second round, the Deacons fell to Michigan, 3-2, in double overtime. In 2000, the Deacs topped Harvard, 6-3, in the first round and avenged their 1999 loss to Michigan by defeating the Wolverines, 3-2 in overtime. In the national semifinals, the Deacons lost, 6-0, to eventual national champion, Old Dominion.
The ACC Tournament
Wake Forest's 3-2 overtime win over North Carolina in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament was just the fourth Deacon win in ACC Tournament history. Their record in the Championships now stands at 4-17. The Deacons, though, are on the upswing. Three of those four wins have come in the past four seasons, with 2000 being the only season of the last four in which the Deacs have not notched a win in the ACC Championships. The Deacons lost to Maryland in the Tournament final, 3-2, when Terrapin senior Dina Rizzo scored with 4:11 remaining to put the Terps ahead to stay.
Owners of the Extra Frame
After their ACC Tournament win over North Carolina, the Deacons are now 3-0 this season in games that go into overtime. On August 25, the Deacons won their season opener at Michigan when Heather Aughinbaugh scored almost 10 minutes into OT. On October 24, Kelly Doton put away the Duke Blue Devils with an overtime tally. Then on November 2 at the ACC Tournament, Jemima Cameron's goal lifted the Deacons over the Tar Heels, 3-2.
On a Roll
The Deacons had an 11-game win streak, the longest in school history, snapped by the Terrapins in the ACC Tournament. At the time, it was the longest win streak in Division I. Dating back to last year, they have won their last 14 games at Kentner stadium, also a school record.
Wake Forest Looks for Revenge
The Deacons are 2-12 all-time against the Terrapins. The last time the Deacs beat the Terps was a 5-3 victory on Sept. 23, 2000 at Wake's Kentner Stadium. This season, the Terps have come out on top twice: a 4-1 victory in College Park on Sept. 22 and a 3-2 win in the finals of the ACC Tournament on Nov. 4.
Doing It With Defense
Demon Deacon goalkeeper Katie Ridd has six solo shutouts this year and seven of the team's 16 wins have come via the shutout.
Team Players
Entering the Final Four, the Deacons boast two players with at least 30 points, five with at least 20 points and 10 players with at least 10 points. 13 of the 17 Demon Deacon field players have recorded at least one point this season.
Milestone
This season, Wake Forest head coach Jennifer Averill notched her 100th victory at the helm of the Demon Deacons. The mark was reached on September 2 with a 3-1 victory over James Madison at Kentner Stadium.
Record Watch Several Deacon players are moving up in the WFU record books this season. Seniors Jemima Cameron and Jennie Shelton are vying for third on the career points list, with 99 and 106, respectively. With her assist against UNC in the ACC Tournament, junior Maria Whitehead took over sole possession of third place on the all-time assists list, while Cameron is fifth on that list with 25.
Going Out in Style
Senior Jennie Shelton has been phenomenal in this postseason. She has recorded six of Wake Forest's 12 goals in the team's four postseason games, also adding an assist. In Sunday's second-round game against Virginia, Shelton, playing in her last game at Kentner Stadium, had the game of her career. She chalked up four goals and an assist to lead the Deacs to the Final Four. With her nine points against the Cavaliers, Shelton tied the NCAA Tournament record for points in one game, becoming only the third player, and the first from the ACC, to accomplish the feat. Her four goals also tie a tournament single-game record. Ironically, the last time a player scored four goals in an NCAA Tournament game, it was Old Dominion's Marina DiGiacomo, who did it against Wake Forest in the semifinals of last year's tournament.
International Experience
Freshman Kelly Dostal, sophomore Lucy Shaw and junior Maria Whitehead have been around. Dostal became the youngest member of the US National Team and has earned spots on both the Under-19 and Under-21 teams. In 1999, Whitehead also played for the U-19 and U-21 teams. Shaw, a native of British Columbia, was the youngest player named to the U-21 Canadian national team and was also a member of the U-18 squad.
Wake vs. The Opposition
The Deacons have outscored their opponents 73-27 this year and outshot the opposition 407-166. The Wake attack has also generated 151 penalty corners, more than doubling their opponents' 67 corners.
Previous Honors
*Heather Aughinbaugh - NFHCA 2nd Team Regional All-American (2000)
*Jemima Cameron - NFHCA 1st Team Regional All-American (2000), NFHCA 2nd Team National All-American (2000)
*Katie Kubic - NFHCA National Academic Squad (1999)
*Jennie Shelton - Two-time NFHCA 2nd Team Regional All-American (1999, 2000), Two-time ACC Player of the Week (10/25/99, 9/25/2000)
*Maria Whitehead - NFHCA 2nd Team Regional All-American (2000), All-ACC Tournament Team (2000)
*Jennifer Averill - NFHCA South Region Coach of the Year, ACC Coach of the Year (1999)
Hunting for Hardware - Wake Forest's National Championships
1955: Behind a shutout by Jack McGinley, the Wake Forest baseball team defeats Colgate, 1-0, to win the NCAA Championship
1974: Curtis Strange, who would go on to win back-to-back U.S. Open Championships in 1988 and '89 and become the captain of the 2001 U.S. Ryder Cup team, wins the NCAA Individual Championship, while Jay Haas takes 6th to lead the Deacons to the National Championship.
1975: This year, the Deacons have three of the top four finishers in Haas (1st), Strange (3rd) and Bob Byman (4th) as they roll to their second consecutive National Championship.
1986: Led by Chris Kite (13th place) and Billy Andrade and Len Mattiace (T-14th place), Wake Forest wins its third men's golf National Championship.