Men's Soccer Faces #6 Virginia in Home Opener

Sept. 11, 2002

Game #4

Unbeaten Deacons Face Biggest Test in Home Opener Against Virginia

After playing its first three games away from Spry Stadium, 13th-ranked Wake Forest finally returns for its home opener. The Demon Deacons waste no time in getting into the heart of the schedule as they host sixth-ranked Virginia, last year's regular season ACC champion.
The Deacons come into Saturday's game well-rested and as healthy as they have been all season. Wake Forest has not played since last Saturday, a 2-1 road victory at Old Dominion. Virginia, on the other hand, comes to Winston-Salem following a surprising 4-2 loss to Penn State last Sunday in College Park, Maryland.
The Cavaliers will be without first team preseason All-American forward Alecko Eskandarian who is suspended for one game. His two yellow cards against Penn State mean he must sit out against the Deacons. Eskandarian is the ACC's leading scorer, having tallied seven of Virginia's 11 goals in just four games.

In The Rankings

On the strength of a 2-0-1 start, Wake has steadily climbed the rankings. Ranked #24 in the preseason by Soccer America, the Deacons have risen to #13 in just two weeks.
In 2001, the Deacons peaked at #6 and spent the final six weeks of the year in the top 25.

Doing It With Defense

Perhaps the biggest question mark in the preseason about Wake Forest was its ability to defend. Three games into the schedule, two of which came against NCAA Tournament teams from last year, the early results are positive. The Deacons have limited their opponents to just three goals and among ACC schools, only Clemson has given up fewer goals per game.

From the Training Room

The Deacons should receive a huge boost on both sides of the ball upon the return of Kelvin Jones, an All-ACC candidate at central defender, and All-American forward Jeremiah White. However, the timing of their full return has not been established as their status for Saturday is questionable.
Both missed the first two games due to injury. Jones did not play at Old Dominion, but White made his 2002 debut in Norfolk. He logged just ten minutes off the bench.
Jones, a junior, is the most experienced of the Deacon defenders with 25 starts in his first two seasons at Wake Forest. Last year, White led the ACC in scoring with 15 goals and seven assists as a sophomore on his way to All-America honors.
On the backline, freshman Michael Parkhurst has filled in admirably for Jones. Up front, although Justin Moose and Vicente Bastidas have picked up the scoring slack, several players have seen additional playing time.

Series History with Virginia

The Demon Deacons and Cavaliers played very tight contests last year. The regular season meeting was a 1-0 Virginia win in Charlottesville. In the ACC Tournament semifinals, in an evenly played game, UVa posted a 1-0 overtime win on a goal that came as a result of the Deacon goalkeeper falling down on a slippery playing surface.
That being said, history is undoubtedly on Virginia's side in the all-time series where the 'Hoos own a record of 23-2-4 against the Deacons since 1980 -- Wake Forest's first year of soccer. The Deacons have never defeated UVa in Winston-Salem, although there have been two ties, the latest coming in 1998. The last Deacon victory in the series came in the 1991 meeting in Charlottesville when Wake Forest shocked the top-ranked Cavaliers, 2-0.

Up Next: September 18 at Richmond, September 21 at St. John's

The Demon Deacons hit the road for their next two, at Richmond and #3 St. John's. Wake is 2-0-1 all-time against the Spiders. St. John's won the only meeting between the schools in 2000, a 3-2 overtime game. The Red Storm has eight starters back from their Final Four team.

Wake Forest Athletics