Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Host NC State on Saturday Night at Spry Stadium
10/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 2, 2003
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 | Saturday's Game At A Glance NC State at #10 Wake Forest
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Deacons Seek Victory Against Red Hot Wolfpack...
After playing just one home game in the month of September, 10th-ranked Wake Forest (4-3, 0-2 ACC) finally returns home on Saturday to face NC State (6-4, 2-1 ACC).
- The Deacons have lost three of their last four games, their worst stretch since the last four games of the 2001 season. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack, who had not won an ACC game since 1999, has won two straight conference games against Clemson and Virginia. NC State has recorded four straight shutouts, a feat unaccomplished since 1987.
- Almost a year ago to the day, October 5, 2002, the Deacons defeated NC State 2-0 at SAS Soccer Stadium on a first half goal by Jeremiah White and a second half goal by Vicente Bastidas. Wake Forest outshot NC State 13-2.
- Wake Forest owns the all-time series lead 14-10-2. The Deacons have won ten straight against the Wolfpack, dating back to 1994.
- Wake Forest has won the three all-time meetings at Spry Stadium, since the facility opened in 1997, outscoring NC State 11-1.
- Wake Forest puts its 22-game regular season home unbeaten streak on the line. The Deacons haven't lost at home in the regular season since the 2001 opener.
- The Deacons will play seven of their next nine games at home at Spry Stadium.
Last Time Out...
Wake Forest dropped its third game in its last four outings by virtue of a 1-0 defeat at top-ranked Maryland. The Deacons were outshot by a slim 13-11 margin but couldn't find the back of the net for the second straight game. It was the first time the Deacons had failed to score in consecutive games since the last two games of 2001.
A Wake Forest Win Would...
improve the Deacons' record to 5-3, 1-2 in the ACC... stretch Wake Forest's winning streak over NC State to 11 games... extend Wake Forest's regular season home unbeaten streak to 23 games... give 10th-year head coach Jay Vidovich his 110th career victory.
A Wake Forest Loss Would...
drop the Deacons to 4-4 overall, putting Wake Forest at .500 for the first time this late into the season since 1987... snap Wake Forest's 10-game winning streak against the Wolfpack... give Wake Forest three straight losses for the first time since the final three games of the 1998 season... be Wake Forest's first ever Spry Stadium loss to NC State... break a 22-game regular season unbeaten streak at Spry.
Inside the Wolfpack...
a unanimous pick for last place in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, NC State has been the surprise team in the season's first half. At 2-1 in the immensely difficult ACC, the 'Pack is in a great position to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
- Offensively, the Wolfpack is led by sophomore forward Aaron King. In 10 games, King has seven goals to his credit with three assists. Defensively, goalkeeper Jorge Gonzalez rides a scoreless streak of more than 366 minutes dating back to September 17.
White Playing With a Broken Cheekbone...
in the second half of the Virginia game on Sept. 13, Jeremiah White took an elbow to the face from Cavalier midfielder Kirk Dinnall. The blow broke the zygomatic arch, the left cheekbone in White's face.
- White underwent successful surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to repair the damage on Wednesday, September 17. Originally expected to be out up to eight weeks, White returned just 14 days after the injury, just 10 days after the surgery, White returned to the field. He entered the Maryland game with 25 minutes remaining.
- In White's absence, the Deacons scored two goals in 290 minutes.
Not a September to Remember...
after five goals in the season's first two games -- against nationally-ranked Connecticut on August 29 and St. John's on August 30 -- the Deacons are in a deep dry spell when it comes to scoring goals. In the six September games, the Deacons scored just four goals. By comparison, Wake scored 12 goals last September in the same amount of games.
- Probably not coincidentally, the Deacons were without Jeremiah White, the school's third leading all-time scorer, who missed two weeks with a broken cheekbone suffered at Virginia on September 13.
- Wake Forest has scored nine goals in seven games, an average of 1.29 goals per game. Last year, with virtually the same roster, the Deacons averaged 2.96 per contest. This year, NC State's Aaron King has scored seven goals by himself in ten games.
Poll Position... Wake Forest is ranked 10th this week by Soccer America, and ranks 13th through 26th in other polls. The Demon Deacons have now spent 32 straight weeks in the top 25 and 17 straight weeks in the top 10. They were in the top five for the first three weeks of the season.
- Seven WFU foes are in the top 25 week this week including Maryland, Old Dominion, St. John's, North Carolina, Virginia and Connecticut, Coastal Carolina. Wake is 3-3 vs. teams currently ranked in the top 25.
Wake Forest Seeks to Break Spry Stadium Attendance Record... the Wake Forest marketing department is hoping to break the Spry Stadium regular season attendance record during the NC State game. The current record is 3,771 set last October against Clemson. The largest crowd ever to watch a soccer game at Spry Stadium is believed to be an MLS exhibition game on March 31, 2001 when more than 5,000 fans packed Spry and the adjecent rooftops to watch the DC United and Miami Fusion.
Deacons Among Nation's Leaders in Attendance...
last year, Wake Forest enjoyed a great home field advantage in front of enormous crowds at Spry Stadium. The Deacons drew crowds of 3,000 or more for five of their 11 games. That allowed Wake Forest to rank third nationally, first in the ACC, with an average of 2,067 fans to lead the ACC and rank third nationally in attendance for the third time in four years. The Wake Forest adidas Classic drew 6,643 fans during the two days.
Hesmer, White Selected to Hermann Trophy Watch List...
Wake Forest placed two players on the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List. A total of 15 of the nation's finest college soccer players were mentioned and Deacon seniors William Hesmer and Jeremiah White were on the list. Wake Forest, along with Maryland and UCLA, were one of only three schools to place two players on the Watch List for soccer's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.
- As a junior, Hesmer was selected as a first team All-American by Soccer America and a second team All-American by the NSCAA. He was a first team All-ACC and All-South selection after posting nine shutouts last year and recorded a 0.65 goals against average, a new Wake Forest record. That mark ranked second nationally last year.
- White, a forward from Lansdowne, Pa., is a two-time All-ACC First Team selection. He was an NSCAA All-American in 2001. Despite battling injury through the first half of last season, White notched a team-high 11 goals. Five of those were of the game-winning variety, including one in the 88th minute against Old Dominion in the NCAA Tournament.
Hesmer Named First Team Preseason All-American...
senior goalkeeper William Hesmer was selected as a first team preseason All-American by Soccer America. As a junior, Hesmer was a first team All-American by Soccer America and a second team All-American by the NSCAA. He was a first team All-ACC and All-South selection after posting the best single season by a goalkeeper in Wake Forest history. Hesmer was a part of nine shutouts last year and recorded a 0.65 goals against average, a new Wake Forest record. That mark ranked second nationally last year.
White Named College Soccer News National Player of the Week...
senior All-American forward Jeremiah White was tabbed as national player of the week by College Soccer News on Sept. 3. The native of Lansdowne, Pa., was easily the most dangerous offensive threat of the weekend, tallying ten shots in the two games to make the Wake Forest adidas Classic All-Tournament team. He assisted on a goal during Friday's game against Connecticut. On Saturday against St. John's, White's first goal tied the game. His second goal put the game out of reach, making it 3-1.
