Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Begin ACC Title Quest at Virginia
9/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 12, 2003
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Deacons Open ACC Slate at Virginia... the Demon Deacons begin their quest for an ACC title on Saturday night at Virginia. Wake Forest travels to Charlottesville undefeated and ranked second by the NSCAA, third nationally by Soccer America.
The Deacons are in the midst of a their longest road swing of the season. Wake Forest is playing five road games in a six game stretch.
Wake Forest and Virginia split their meetings last year, one win apiece. The Deacons captured the regular season matchup at Spry Stadium, a 2-1 victory in September. The teams met in the ACC Tournament semifinals last November and Virginia won 1-0 on an own goal. That loss snapped Wake Forest's 18-game unbeaten streak to start the year.
Last Time Out... In its first road test of the season, Wake Forest escaped Blackburg, Va., with a 1-0 victory against Virginia Tech.
On a night marked by the opening of the new Virginia Tech Soccer Stadium, the Deacons got the game's only goal when James Riley struck in the 69th minute.
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Wake Forest improved to 3-0 with all three victories coming against Big East opponents. Virginia Tech slipped to 2-1 overall.
Wake Forest, which held Connecticut and St. John's to a combined five shots in 180 minutes, allowed 14 shots to Virginia Tech, but still outshot the Hokies, 17-14.
Senior All-American goalkeeper William Hesmer needed to make just one save in the first two games of the season, but made eight saves for the win at Virginia Tech.
Balancing Act... through three games, the Deacons have scored six goals. If it seems like almost everyone is getting in the act, it's because they have. Nine different players have been a part of the team's six goals. That includes five different goal scorers -- Jeremiah White, Tomy Szczypiorski, James Riley, Stephen Keel and Ryan Alexander -- and seven different players with assists -- White, Riley, Szczypiorski, Scott Sealy, Ryan Solle, Adam Hakes and Justin Moose.
Last Year's Win Against UVa... the 2-1 Wake Forest victory at Spry Stadium snapped a 16-game winless streak against Virginia that dated back to 1991. Brian Carroll scored the first goal of the game with an assist from Ryan Alexander. Jeremiah White scored 16 seconds before halftime with assists from Carroll and Vicente Bastidas.
Poll Particulars... Wake Forest crept up to second in the NSCAA poll this week but remained at number three in the Soccer America and College Soccer News polls. Wake Forest has spent 29 straight weeks in the top 25, 14 straight weeks in the top 10 and three weeks in the top five.
Eight WFU foes are in the top 25 week this week including Maryland, UNC, Clemson, St. John's, South Carolina, Coastal Carolina, UConn and ODU. Wake is 3-0 vs. the top 25.
Hesmer, White Selected to Hermann Trophy Watch List... Wake Forest placed two players on the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List, the NSCAA announced on Tuesday. 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.
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. Last weekend's Wake Forest adidas Classic drew 6,643 fans during the two days.
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 to be the top soccer conference in the nation, ACC schools have won 10 national championships in 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. The freshman class also includes Chris Bastidas, Bobby Davis, Brian Edwards, Mark Ellington, Paul Slocum, Wells Thompson and David Worthen.
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). 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.
Up Next... the Deacons return home Tuesday to play George Mason, Wake Forest's only home game in the month of September.
