#2 Wake Forest Faces NC State on Saturday

Oct. 3, 2002

Game #10

Deacons Square Off With NC State at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

Second-ranked Wake Forest (7-0-2, 2-0 ACC) will attempt to improve its conference record to 3-0 for the first time in school history when the Deacons travel to Cary, N.C., to face NC State (3-6, 0-3 ACC) on Saturday night at the SAS Soccer Park in Cary, home of the WUSA's Carolina Courage.
The Deacons have won nine straight games against the Wolfpack with the last loss coming in 1994. During that stretch, Wake Forest has outscored NC State 31-4. The Deacons lead the all-time series 13-10-1.
NC State comes into Saturday's game with a 3-6 mark after Wednesday's 5-1 win over Radford. The Wolfpack and Deacons have already played two common opponents this season -- Maryland and Virginia. Wake Forest defeated both teams while NC State lost to both.

Shutout Streak Reaches Three Games; 375 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 375 minutes -- blanking St. John's for 95 minutes and the entire games against UNC Greensboro, Maryland and William & Mary.
Thanks to the those shutouts, William Hesmer's goals against average has dropped from an already low at 0.75 to a microscopic 0.52 mark.

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 0.52 goals against average. He has surrendered just five goals in more 859 minutes of action.
Hesmer is Wake Forest's all-time leader in goals against average (0.85) and ranks second in save percentage (82.7%).

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, the team's last five goals, eight of the team's 18 goals overall, have been scored by reserves. The team's leading goal scorer, freshman Ryan Alexander, has not started a game. Against Maryland and William & Mary, all goals came off the bench (Ryan Alexander 2, Jeremiah White 2 and Adam Hakes). In five of the team's last six 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 four more have contributed assists. No individual Deacon has more than four goals or four assists this season.

For Starters . . .

Through nine 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 6-0-3 record. That group keep its unbeaten streak intact for 16 games. The last time Wake started with a better record was 1991, a 8-0-1 start.

Wake Forest: A Co-ed Soccer Powerhouse

Wake Forest is the only school in the country whose men's and women's teams are both still undefeated through the games of Oct. 2. The two teams have a combined record of 16-0-3 for a winning percentage of .921.
Only Stanford has a better combined winning percentage (.941) as their women's team has an 8-0 record and the Cardinal men are 8-1.
The Wake Forest women's team takes the field against eighth-ranked California on Friday.

Wake Forest Athletics