#1 Wake Forest Entertains Gardner-Webb

Oct. 29, 2002

Game #15

#1 Wake Forest Hosts Gardner-Webb

The Demon Deacons host Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night at Spry Stadium. Wake Forest, ranked number one by Soccer America and Soccer Times, is undefeated on the season at 10-0-4 and along with Coastal Carolina, is one of just two teams in the country still unbeaten.
The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, come into tonight's game with an 0-13-3 record.
Wake Forest and Gardner-Webb will meet for the second time on the soccer field on Tuesday. The first meeting occured last year when the Deacons took a 2-0 decision with goals by Brian Carroll and Jeremiah White.
Wake Forest and Gardner-Webb have played only one common opponent this year -- Clemson. Wake Forest tied the Tigers 2-2 earlier this fall while the Bulldogs suffered a 7-0 defeat in Tiger Town.

Wake Forest Takes Over #1 Spot in the Soccer America Poll

The Demon Deacons earned another number one ranking when Soccer America released its top 25 poll on Monday evening. The Demon Deacons are the top-ranked team in the country for the second straight week.
Wake Forest is number one in the Soccer Times poll for the second straight week. The Demon Deacons held steady in the NSCAA poll at number three behind St. John's and UCLA.
Wake Forest has spent 16 straight weeks in the top 25 and in the top five of at least one poll for the last seven weeks.
Five of the ACC's seven men's soccer schools are ranked in the Soccer Times top 25.

On the Outside Looking In

Just how tough is the Atlantic Coast Conference? Wake Forest could finish the season undefeated, with an undefeated record in the ACC and ranked number one nationally and still NOT win the regular season conference crown.
That's because with two ties, Wake Forest actually trails Maryland in the points race. The Terrapins have 12 points (4-1 ACC) to Wake Forest's 11 (3-0-2). With just one game remaining on the ACC schedules for both teams, the Deacons do not control their own destiny.
Entering the final weekend, three teams have a shot at claiming a share of the regular season title. Wake Forest could finish anywhere from first to third, depending on the outcomes of Friday's Wake Forest-Duke and Maryland-Virginia games. No matter what happens, though, Maryland holds the tiebreaker over Duke. In the event that Maryland and Duke share the regular season title, the Terrapins would get the first round bye in the grueling ACC Tournament.

Here are the scenarios:

- Maryland controls its own destiny and would clinch with a win over Virginia on Friday night.

- Wake Forest would get the title with a win over Duke AND either Maryland tie or loss.

- Duke would share the title with Maryland with a win over Wake Forest and a Maryland loss.

Second Half Squad

The Demon Deacons have outscored their opponents 16-3 in the second half this season, allowing goals to Virginia, Old Dominion and North Carolina. One possible explanation is that Wake Forest wears down its opponents with its deep bench and possession style of play.
Another statistic of note: the Deacons have scored in the game's final ten minutes six different times this season against SLU, Akron, Richmond, William & Mary, South Carolina and Elon.

Comeback Kids

Wake has trailed in five games this season before coming back to tie three times (Saint Louis, St. John's, Clemson) and win twice (Old Dominion, Elon). The Deacs have trailed by two goals once this year (Clemson).

Best Starts

Through 14 games, the Deacons have equaled the best start in school history. It is just the second time in school history Wake Forest has stayed unbeaten to this point. Last time it happened was 1999 when the Deacons opened with an identical 10-0-4 record. That group keep its unbeaten streak intact for 16 games.

No Need to Re-Invent the Wheel

There has been little reason for head coach Jay Vidovich to tamper with his starting lineup this season. In fact, the only changes so far have been out of necessity. Seven players -- William Hesmer, Michael Parkhurst, Brian Carroll, Vicente Bastidas, Justin Moose, Amir Lowery and Wiggy Saunders -- have started every game. Scott Sealy, James Riley and Ryan Caugherty have started 13 of 14, missing one start each due to injury and Bobby Gehring has missed two.

The Bench Packs Scoring Punch

There probably isn't another team in the country that brings as much talent off the bench as Wake Forest does. There definitely isn't a team in the country that brings as much scoring punch off the bench. In fact, eight of the team's last 13 goals, 12 of the team's 28 goals overall, have been scored by reserves. The team's top two scorers, White and Alexander, have not started a game.

Vidovich Reaches 100-Win Plateau

Deacon head coach Jay Vidovich, already the school's all-time wins leader, earned his 100th career victory on Wednesday night with a 3-1 win against the Phoenix. Wake Forest has won ten games in each of Vidovich's nine seasons as head coach.

Up Next:

Wake Forest travels to Duke on Friday to play the Blue Devils. The Deacons were 1-0-1 against Duke last year, a 2-0 win on a pair of Jeremiah White goals and a tie in the ACC Tournament. Wake Forest advanced on penalty kicks.

Wake Forest Athletics