#2 Men's Soccer Entertains William & Mary

Oct. 1, 2002

Game #9

Deacons Step Out of Conference Against William & Mary

Wake Forest wraps up its homestand on Wednesday as the second-ranked Deacons take on the Tribe of William & Mary. The Demon Deacons undefeated at 6-0-2, the second best start in school history. Wake is 2-0 in the ACC for the first time since 1991.
William & Mary comes into the game with a 4-4 record having won third of their last four -- all shutouts. The two teams have met in the regular season just one time, a 3-0 WFU victory in 1991.
Wake Forest will be the third ACC team the Tribe has faced already this fall. William & Mary defeated Virginia 1-0 and lost to Maryland 4-1.

Hesmer Picks Up ACC Player of the Week Honors; Becomes Frontrunner for ACC First Team

Junior goalkeeper William Hesmer earned the recognition after leading the Demon Deacons to a perfect 2-0 record last week with a 3-0 wins over UNC Greensboro and #4 Maryland.
Hesmer did not allow a goal in 169:08 minutes of play and recorded eight saves on the week. Against the Terrapins, the ACC's top goal scoring team, Hesmer registered six saves and was credited with the shutout.
Approaching the halfway point of the season, Hesmer leads all ACC goalkeepers with a 0.59 goals against average. He has surrendered just five goals in more 769 minutes of action.
Hesmer is Wake Forest's all-time leader in goals against average (0.87) and ranks second in save percentage (81.3%).

Deacons Go Deep

One luxury head coach Jay Vidovich has been afforded this season is the ability to bring capable goal scorers off the bench. In fact, six of the team's 16 goals have been scored by reserves, three by Ryan Alexander. Against Maryland, all three goals came off the bench (Ryan Alexander, Jeremiah White and Adam Hakes). In four of the team's last five games, a reserve has scored a goal.

Everyone is a Threat

A closer look at the ACC statistics reveals that no Demon Deacon ranks in the top ten in goals or points per game. Yet as a team, Wake Forest is near the middle of the pack when it comes to goal scoring.
That's because eight different players have netted goals and three more have contributed assists. No individual Deacon has more than three goals or four assists this season.

Wake Forest Creeps to #2 in Soccer America Poll

Ranked second, the Demon Deacons are higher in the Soccer America poll than ever before in the 22 year history of the program. Wake Forest had been ranked third on three occasions, including last week. The Deacons check in at number two, behind St. John's, a team Wake Forest tied just nine days ago.
Wake has spent 12 consecutive week in the rankings, dating back to October 15 of last year. Last season, the Deacons peaked at number six. In this year's preseason, Wake Forest was ranked 22nd by Soccer America.
Currently, five of the ACC's seven schools that sponsor men's soccer are ranked in the top 25.

Boarding Up the Goal

The secret to Wake's early success has been its ability to defend. In 780 minutes of play, the Deacons have allowed just five goals. That's less than one goal every two and half hours. Wake Forest has shutout three of its last four opponents (Richmond, UNC Greensboro and Maryland).
At this point, Wake Forest can claim the ACC's best defense as the five goals are the fewest allowed in the conference.

For Starters . . .

Through eight games, the 2002 Deacons are off to one of their best starts in school history. It is just the third time in school history Wake Forest has stayed unbeaten to this point. Last time it happened was 1999 when the Deacons opened with a 5-0-3 record. That group keep its unbeaten streak intact for 16 games.
The last time Wake Forest started with a better record was 1991, a 7-0-1 start.
However, an argument could be made that the 2002 Deacons have played a tougher schedule as four of its first eight opponents have been ranked 11th or better.

Wake Forest Athletics