Deacons, Tigers to Renew Rivalry in Top Five Showdown

Oct. 15, 2002

Game #12

Much will be on the line at Spry Stadium on Saturday when second-ranked Wake Forest (9-0-2, 3-0 ACC) plays host to fourth-ranked Clemson (9-1-1, 2-1 ACC). The game has several interesting storylines and could have major implications in the seeding for November's ACC Tournament.
Both teams enter Saturday's game on long unbeaten streaks. The Deacons have not lost in 11 contests this year, tied for the second longest such streak in school history. Clemson has won its last seven since a 2-1 setback at Duke on September 14.
The Tigers and Deacons have had four common opponents this season. Both teams have defeated UNC Greensboro, NC State, South Carolina and Virginia.

#1 Offense vs. #1 Defense: Something Has to Give

Wake has the ACC's top defensive unit and is second nationally allowing just 0.45 goals per game. Clemson is the ACC's top offensive team, second in the nation scoring 3.27 goals per game.
The Demon Deacons have faced other high-powered offenses earlier this season. UNC Greensboro is ranked seventh nationally in goals per game while Maryland is ranked 11th. Wake Forest shutout both teams at Spry Stadium this season.
This week's co-ACC Players of the Week come from Clemson and Wake Forest. Tiger forward Dimelon Westfield scored three goals last week, including two against Virginia. He shares the honor with Deacon defender Michael Parkhurst who earned recognition for his defensive efforts in shutting out 11th-ranked South Carolina.

Home Sweet Spry

Wake Forest brings a five-game home winning streak into Saturday's contest. The Deacons have won 15 of 17 home games in the last two years with a 5-0 ACC record. That includes victories over Maryland, Virginia, Duke, North Carolina and NC State. The notable team missing from that group is Saturday's opponent, Clemson.
The Deacons have allowed just one goal in five home games this season. It came against Virgnia on September 14.

Vidovich Eyes 100-Win Plateau

Wake Forest head coach Jay Vidovich, in his ninth year and already the school's all-time wins leader, would earn his 100th career victory on Saturday night with a win against the Tigers.

Shutout Streak Reaches Five Games; 555 Minutes

Suffice to say, Wake Forest has been on a roll in just about all aspects of the game, but especially on defense. The Deacons haven't allowed a goal since the 15th minute of the September 21 game at St. John's. Since then, Wake Forest has compiled a shutout streak of more than 555 minutes -- blanking #1 St. John's for 95 minutes and the entire games against UNC Greensboro, #4 Maryland, William & Mary, NC State and #11 South Carolina.
Meanwhile, William Hesmer's goals against average is a microscopic 0.43, the third-best mark in the nation behind Stanford's Robby Fulton (0.15) and St. John's Bill Gaudette (0.33).

Last of the Unbeatens

Wake Forest is just one of four teams nationally to remain unbeaten through the games of October 13. Those teams are scattered about the country and they include California's Loyola Marymount (11-0-2), Illinois' Bradley (11-0-3) and South Carolina's Coastal Carolina (11-0-1).

White Continues Torrid Scoring Pace

Don't look now but junior Jeremiah White has picked up right where he left off in the 2001 season. After missing five of the team's first six games to injury, White has come back to play, and score a goal or hand out an assist, in each of his last five contests.
Last year, White led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 16 goals, was named first team All-ACC and third team All-American.

Bienvenidos a Que Pasa!

Saturday's game will air live locally in Winston-Salem on Spanish-speaking "Que Pasa" radio, 1040 AM - WSGH. The station also aired last Friday's 1-0 victory over 11th-ranked South Carolina.

Wake Forest Stays to #2 in Soccer America, NSCAA Polls

Ranked second, the Demon Deacons are higher in the Soccer America and NSCAA poll than ever before in the 22-year history of the program. Wake has spent 14 straight weeks in the polls, dating back to October 15, 2001. In the preseason, WFU was ranked 22nd by Soccer America and 25th by the NSCAA.

Best Starts

Through 11 games, the 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 an 8-0-3 record. That group keep its unbeaten streak intact for 16 games. The 1991 Wake Forest team was 9-0-2 at this point.
A win on Saturday would push the Deacons to 10-0-2 and would allow this year's club to stake claim to the best 12-game start in school history. The 1991 Deacons were 9-1-2 and the 1999 Deacons were 8-0-4.

If It Ain't Broke ...

There has been little reason for head coach Jay Vidovich to tamper with his starting linup this season. In fact, the only changes so far have been out of necessity. Eight players -- William Hesmer, Michael Parkhurst, Bobby Gehring, Brian Carroll, Vicente Bastidas, Justin Moose, Amir Lowery and Wiggy Saunders -- have started every game. Scott Sealy, James Riley and Ryan Caugherty have started 10 of 11, missing one start each due to injury.

Wake Forest Athletics