Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Host Wake Forest adidas Classic this weekend
8/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 28, 2003
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
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Games #1 and #2
- Wake Forest adidas Classic
- Tournament Central Page
- August 29-30, 2003
Friday:
- North Carolina vs. St. John's 5:00
- Wake Forest vs. Connecticut 7:00
Saturday:
- North Carolina vs. Connecticut 5:00
- Wake Forest vs. St. John's 7:00
For Openers... the fourth-ranked Demon Deacons open their 2003 season by hosting the Wake Forest adidas Classic. With all four teams in the field ranked in the top 20, the eyes of college soccer will be on Spry Stadium this weekend. Wake Forest welcomes three programs that have won national championships in the last ten years including fifth-ranked St. John's, 10th-ranked Connecticut and 19th-ranked North Carolina. The Wake Forest adidas Classic is the only tournament in the country in which all teams in the field are ranked in the NSCAA top 25.
Exhibition Recap... Wake Forest played, and won, two preseason games. The Deacons beat Charlotte 2-0 on August 18 behind goals from Tomy Szczypiorski and Vicente Bastidas. On August 23, Wake Forest rallied with two goals by Ryan Alexander and Jeremiah White in the final ten minutes to beat 20th-ranked Coastal Carolina, 2-1.
 | Did You Know? Wake Forest is 19-0-1 in its last 20 regular season games at Spry Stadium since Sept. 8, 2001. During that stretch, the Deacons are 4-0-1 against ranked opponents with wins over #5 North Carolina, #6 Virginia, #4 Maryland, #11 South Carolina and a tie against #4 Clemson. The team's last home regular season loss came in the 2001 home opener against Dartmouth, 1-0. |
The last time Wake Forest hosted UConn in Winston-Salem was 1991 at the facility now known as Kentner Stadium. John Duguid recorded a hat trick in a 5-1 win for WFU.
Wake Forest vs. St. John's... the Deacons and Red Storm have more recent history as the teams met last year in Queens. The game served as the dedication for St. John's new stadium and the teams played to a 1-1 tie. Vicente Bastidas (WFU) and Andre Schmid (SJU) were the goal scorers. The Deacons played without Jeremiah White in that game. In 2000 in Storrs, Conn., Wake Forest lost to St. John's 3-2 in overtime.
The Boys are Back in Town... Wake Forest returns virtually its entire roster from its historic 2002 season. Ten starters and 23 letterwinners are back from last year's 15-2-4 squad that was ranked number one for six weeks, went undefeated through the regular season, won the ACC regular season title and captured the top seed in the NCAA Tournament. That list of returners includes All-ACC selections William Hesmer (senior goalkeeper) Jeremiah White (senior forward), Justin Moose (sophomore midfielder) and Michael Parkhurst (sophomore defender).
Among letterwinners, only Brian Carroll (MLS) and Bobby Gehring (graduation) are gone from last year's squad.
The Deacons bring back 83 percent of their goal scoring, 81 percent of their assists, 85 percent of their starts and 99 percent of their goalkeeping minutes.
Hesmer Named First Team Preseason All-American... senior goalkeeper William Hesmer was named this week 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.
Hesmer was a second team All-ACC pick as a sophomore and made the ACC All-Tournament team as a freshman.
Deacons Among Nation's Leaders in Attendance... last year, the Deacons enjoyed a great home field advantage in front of enormous crowds at W. Dennie Spry Stadium. Wake Forest 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 passing through the the turnstiles at Spry.
Wake Forest has ranked third nationally and led the ACC in attendance in three of the last four seasons.
You Can't Teach Experience... the Deacons have finally become a veteran squad with seven seniors, including six that play in most every game. With eight members, the junior class is the team's largest. In the team's usual lineup, eight of the 11 are juniors or seniors (see page three).
Poll Particulars... there is a preseason consensus about Wake Forest among pollsters. The NSCAA, Soccer America and College Soccer News all have the Demon Deacons ranked fourth. Wake Forest has spent 27 straight weeks in the top 25 and 12 straight weeks in the top 10. The last time Wake Forest wasn't ranked was mid-October 2001.
Seven of Wake Forest's opponents are ranked in the top 25 including Maryland, St. John's, Clemson, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina and Duke. That doesn't include 20th-ranked Coastal Carolina who the Deacons defeated in the preseason.
He's Baaaack... goalkeeper Brad McEachern is back for a fifth year in the Deacon program. Recently enrolled in graduate school, McEachern re-joined his teammates on the soccer team about a week into the preseason. He did not see any game action during the 2000 season and was able to use it as a redshirt season. McEachern made two starts last year in goal and did not give up a goal.
Wake Forest Picked Second in the Preseason ACC Coaches Poll... the Deacons were selected to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason coaches poll. Maryland (48 points) was picked to finish first while Wake Forest received 40 points. Virginia (30) was selected to finish third, followed by North Carolina (28) and Clemson (26). Duke (17) and NC State (7) rounded the poll. Considered by many to be one of the top soccer conferences in the nation, ACC schools have won 10 national championships in men's soccer during the last 19 years.
Deacons Haul in 7th Best Recruiting Class... the Wake Forest coaching staff had to be pleased with its recruiting efforts last season. Jay Vidovich, Bobby Muuss and Paul Forster signed a nine-man freshman class rated as the 7th-best class in the nation by College Soccer News. The group includes Steven Curfman and Ryan Solle -- two Parade All-Americans with National Team experience. Curfman just finished a stint with the U-17 National Team at the World Championships in Finland and rejoined the team on Wednesday in time for the first day of classes. The freshman class also includes Chris Bastidas, Bobby Davis, Brian Edwards, Mark Ellington, Paul Slocum, Wells Thompson and David Worthen.
2002 Trends... Wake Forest outscored its opponents 35-4 in the second half last year, including overtime... the Deacons were 0-1-4 in overtime games last year including ties against all ranked opponents, including #11 Saint Louis, #2 St. John's, #4 Clemson and an NCAA loss to #13 Clemson... Jeremiah White had five game-winning goals in 2002... the Deacons allowed just 3.76 shots on goal per game last year... the Deacons are 5-0-1 in their last six home ACC regular season games.
Up Next... following the Wake Forest adidas Classic, the Demon Deacons hit the road for five of their next six games beginning with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., next Friday. Wake Forest will help Virginia Tech christen its new soccer stadium on Friday at 7:00 p.m.
