Men's Soccer Goes To ACC Tournament
11/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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ACC Tournament Media Guide
Riggs Field in Clemson, S.C.
November 15-18
First Round vs. Duke Thursday - 3:00 pm
Deacons Begin Quest For ACC Tournament Title
Wake Forest (13-4-1, 3-2-1 ACC) plays Duke in the opening round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (A complete tournament bracket can be found on the back cover of this packet.) The Deacons and Blue Devils will meet for the second time this season. Wake Forest took the first battle at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem earlier tihs month. In that game, Jeremiah White scored both goals in Wake Forest's 2-0 win.
All-America Candidate Jeremiah White Leads The ACC in Scoring
Sophomore Jeremiah White finished the regular season as the ACC's leading scorer with 15 goals in 16 games, a total of 37 points. White has scored a goal in nine of his last ten games. He became the first Deacon to lead the ACC in scoring since Mark Erwin in 1983. He ranks fifth in the nation in scoring and goals with 2.43 points and 1.00 goals per game.
Deacons In the ACC Tournament
The Deacons hold an all-time record of 7-11-5 in tournament play since 1987 with one ACC Championship in 1989. Wake Forest has advanced beyond of the first round of the conference tournament four of the last five seasons, including last year when the Deacons edged Clemson on penalty kicks. Then-freshman keeper William Hesmer stopped three PK's to help Wake advance.
Wake Forest vs. Duke In Postseason
Wake Forest has faced Duke a total of six times with a 2-3-1 record. One of those victories came in the 1989 Championship game in Durham when the Deacons won on penalty kicks.
Four Deacons Earn All-ACC Honors Wake Forest landed four players on the All-ACC teams, the league announced on Wednesday. The list includes first team selections Aaron Thomas and Jeremiah White. William Hesmer and Brian Carroll were second team picks. Thumbnail sketches at left.
Wake Forest's All-ACC Players:
#5 Aaron Thomas/1st Team All-ACC/Junior/Defender/Downingtown, Pa.
A second team all-conference selection last year ... among the ACC's leaders with seven assists ... scored Wake Forest's game-winning goal against North Carolina on Oct. 27 ... the vocal leader of the Demon Deacons ... has been Wake Forest's captain since his sophomore season.
#10 Jeremiah White/1st Team All-ACC/Sophomore/Forward/Lansdowne, Pa.
Led the ACC in scoring with 15 goals and 7 assists ... ranks in the top 10 nationally in points ... scored four goals and three assists in five ACC games this year ... the first Wake Forest player to lead the ACC in scoring since 1983 ... scored a goal in nine straight games from Sept. 19 through November 6.
#7 Brian Carroll/2nd Team All-ACC/Sophomore/Midfield/Springfield, Va.
The team's fourth-leading scorer from his midfield position ... among the league leaders with seven assists ... scored two goals against Old Dominion ... tied a school record with three assists in one game earlier this year ... spent last spring as a key player in the U.S. U-20 National Team.
#1 William Hesmer/2nd Team All-ACC/Sophomore/Goalkeeper/Wilson, N.C.
Started every game in goal for the Deacons who have seven shutouts this season ... recorded 0.78 goals against average and an impressive save percentage of .833 ... was a member of last year's ACC All-Tournament team ... is on pace to become Wake Forest's all-time leader in goals against avg.
Chasing History
Two wins this weekend would make tie the school record for most wins in a season set by Wake Forest's 1989 ACC Championship team.
Deacons Win North Carolina State Championship
With a 9-0 record against teams located in North Carolina, Wake Forest earned the unofficial title of state champions. The nine wins came against North Carolina, Duke, NC State, Davidson, Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, High Point, Gardner-Webb and Greensboro College.
Turning Point
Few outside of the Wake Forest camp expected much out of the Demon Deacons in the preseason. Not ranked in any polls and picked to finish sixth in the seven-team ACC in August, the Deacons sat 3-3 after six games. Many cite the Maryland game on Sept. 30 as the turning point of the season when the Deacons rallied to tie the Terrapins despite playing without four injured starters, including Jeremiah White, Kevin Wickart, Kelvin Jones and Jamal Seale. When they returned, the Deacons hit their stride and rattled off ten straight wins, including a victory over North Carolina. Wake vaulted to fifth in the national polls after defeating Duke. The Deacons finished fourth in the league, just a half-game behind Clemson and UNC.