Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Open Exhibition Season on Monday at Spry Stadium
8/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 16, 2003
The fourth-ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team gets the ball rolling on Monday night at Spry Stadium in its first of two exhibitions of the 2003 season.
The Demon Deacons host Charlotte at 7:00 p.m. Wake Forest will entertain Coastal Carolina on Saturday August 23 in a final tune-up before opening weekend on August 29-30 in the Wake Forest adidas Classic.
Here's a look at the 2003 Wake Forest Demon Deacons:
For a senior-laden team with ten returning starters from last year's ACC regular season championship team... the future is here, the time is now.
For Wake Forest, 2002 was a season for the ages. Unranked in the preseason and underdogs in their own conference, the Deacons took the ACC by storm and burst onto the national scene with an undefeated regular season, earning a number one seed in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.
The Deacons were undefeated through their first 18 games, against a brutal schedule
that included nine teams that would make the NCAA Tournament. The team's first loss came in mid-November but not before Wake Forest reached its first ever number one national ranking -- a position the Deacons held for almost two months.
But following a disappointing overtime loss in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16, those accomplishments have not provided Wake Forest much comfort during the offseason.
Immediately after that loss, the Deacons went back to work, unsatisfied.
This fall, tenth year head coach Jay Vidovich will put a team on the field that closely resembles the 2002 version. Ten starters and 23 letterwinners return from last year's 15-2-4 squad.
They represent 83 percent of the team's total offense and 19 of 21 starts at goalkeeper.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that the two departed players are the versatile four-year veteran Bobby Gehring, and Hermann Trophy finalist and All-American Brian Carroll, who left a year early to play in MLS.
"We've got a lot of guys coming back but we'll definitely miss their leadership," Vidovich said. "We'll need some people to step into those roles."
On paper, the Deacons will have one of the strongest teams in the country. One preseason publication ranks Wake Forest at number four to begin the season.
However, none of the games will be played on paper this season, a fact not lost on the Deacons.
Vidovich says the season can take one of two paths. The outcome of the season hinges on whether the team will come into the season ready to work.
"The first path is where we are complacent and we take last year's successes for granted. Without our senior leaders from last year, it's a concern, because we haven't achieved this level of success before. Because it's so new to us, I'm not sure how we'll handle it."
"The second path is where everyone works hard, we get great team leadership and we have a great team atmosphere. We'll be very happy and excited about our chances of doing something big. The questions will be, 'do we have the hunger?'" 'Do we remember the lessons from the Virginia and Clemson losses?' If we have positive answers to those questions, we'll have a special season."
Goalkeepers
The Deacons return arguably the best goalkeeper in the country in William Hesmer.
The senior from Wilson, N.C., was named a Soccer America first team All-American and first team All-ACC as a junior.
In 2002, Hesmer shattered the Wake Forest single season record for goals against average and was a part of 10 shutouts, also a new school record.
"William has progressed every year," Vidovich said. "He has developed and matured as a leader. He could be a driving force behind our success this year."
Hesmer had off-season shoulder surgery but has diligently rehabbed the injury and will be 100 percent by the time preseason begins.
Initially, the Deacons figured to lose backup goalkeeper Brad McEachern who graduated in May. However, McEachern will return as a fifth-year senior. He did not play in 2000 as a sophomore and was able to use that year as a redshirt season.
Just as Hesmer could be the nation's best keeper, McEachern might be the nation's best back-up and provides an outstanding insurance policy for the coaching staff.
Behind the two seniors are two freshmen keepers. They are Brian Edwards, a highly-touted player out of Charlotte, and Paul Slocum, a keeper from Slidell, La.
The coaching staff is high on both Edwards and Slocum, believing they are capable goalkeepers who will compete for a starting role in 2004.
Defenders
An area of concern before the 2002 season has become an area of great strength prior to the 2003 campaign.
All four starters in the back return including seniors Wiggy Saunders and Kelvin Jones, junior James Riley and sophomore Michael Parkhurst.
This group posted 11 clean sheets last season, tops in the ACC, and only 0.56 goals per game, second best in the nation.
"Hopefully this group will have the ambition to have another statistically outstanding year," Vidovich said.
Saunders comes into the season with 47 games of experience and 34 career starts under his belt. Jones is one of the most physically gifted players in the ACC and wins virtually every ball in the air. Riley is a versatile performer who the coaches can't say enough good things about. Last year as a freshman, Parkhurst quickly developed into one of the best defenders in the nation, one of just four players at his position to make an All-ACC team.
Behind the top four are a solid mix of rookies and veterans including junior Brent Pridgen, sophomore Wes Allen and freshmen Steven Curfman and David Worthen.
Allen saw significant time against some top flight opponents as a redshirt freshman and proved to be a capable defender in the ACC.
Pridgen scored a goal on his first career shot against Gardner-Webb last season.
Curfman, a Parade All-American, has tremendous credentials and Worthen has good long-range potential.
Midfielders
This veteran group possesses a wide array of abilities. The more defensive minded players of the bunch are juniors Amir Lowery and Ryan Caugherty. Both physically and mentally strong, this pair breaks down most opponent attacks before they even begin.
Lowery had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2002 and is on the verge of becoming a special player. He suffered a broken foot during the offseason but has worked hard to overcome the injury.
Vidovich says Caugherty might be the most focused individual he has coached in the 17-plus years he's been at Wake Forest.
Curfman and Ryan Solle, both freshmen with national team experience, will contend for playing time. The attacking group of midfielders begins with senior Vicente Bastidas, a gifted passer.
Wake Forest had the nation's most exciting rookie attackers last season in Ryan Alexander and Justin Moose. Alexander scored six goals with eight assists despite starting just three games.
Moose, the 2002 ACC Rookie of the Year and a second team All-ACC selection, had a major impact as opposing defenders constantly had to account for his one-on-one ability.
Grey Ballard, Gideon Coronel, Stephen Keel and Matt Koh are four quality veteran players each with some game experience.
Freshmen Wells Thompson and Robert Davis are promising players who will need time to adjust to playing in the ACC.
Forwards
Talent, proven goal scoring ability, experience in big games, speed, power and leadership. That's the combination that returning starters Jeremiah White and Scott Sealy bring to the table.
White, a first team All-ACC selection as a sophomore and junior, already ranks as the third-best scorer in Wake Forest history. He entered the 2002 season banged up but still scored 11 goals and ranked fourth in the ACC in that category.
In 2001, Sealy had one of the best rookie seasons by a Deacon. Last season as a sophomore, Sealy had another productive year. Through just two seasons, the Trinidad native already has 15 goals and eight assists to his credit.
"Jerry is a player that we count on to step up and win games. He's done a tremendous job the last two years and now he's ready to show people that he can play at the next level," Vidovich said. "Scott is healthy and is dedicated to having another big year."
Senior Adam Hakes, who has overcome numerous knee surgeries, is listed at forward but has the versatility to play almost any position on the field.
Also in the mix is junior Tomy Szczypiorski, the team's leading scorer in spring exhibitions, sophomore Marcellus Tennyson, a physically gifted player, and two freshmen, Mark Ellington and Chris Bastidas.
Ellington is an in-state product with the ability to score goals in a number of ways. Chris Bastidas, younger brother of Vicente, comes to Wake Forest from an outstanding club team, FC Delco in Pennsylvania, and will be a player to watch in the years to come.
Schedule
One would be hard-pressed to put together a more difficult schedule than the one Wake Forest will face this season as 11 teams on the 2003 slate appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament.
The Deacons open up in the Wake Forest adidas Classic at Spry Stadium against perennial national title contenders Connecticut and St. John's.
Then, the Deacons will play five straight games against teams from Virginia including at Virginia Tech, at Virginia, George Mason and a four-team invitational at William & Mary that includes the Tribe and Old Dominion.
On Sept. 27, the Deacons visit Maryland in a rematch of last year's exciting 3-0 Wake Forest win at Spry Stadium. In mid-October, road trips to Clemson and South Carolina await the Deacons.
Wake Forest wraps up October with home games against North Carolina on Oct. 25 and Duke on Halloween night. Davidson and UNC Greensboro provide final tuneups prior to the ACC Tournament at the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C.
