Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Venture to Virginia Tech
9/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 4, 2003
Virginia Tech Notes in PDF
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Deacons Start Living Out of a Suitcase... the third-ranked Demon Deacons will play five of their next six contests away from Spry Stadium beginning with Friday's road trip to Virginia Tech.
Wake Forest will play just one home game during the month of September.
The Deacons and the Hokies will soon be facing off as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference but the teams haven't met since 1998 when Wake Forest took a 1-0 victory at Spry Stadium. Wake's last trip to Blacksburg was in 1997, a 2-0 loss to the Hokies.
Special Guest: Wake Forest... the Deacons will be the special guest on-hand to help open the Virginia Tech soccer stadium on Friday night.
It's a scenario Wake Forest has become all too familiar with. Last September, the Deacons played in the inaugural contest at St. John's Belson Stadium. The teams played to 1-1 draw in front of more than 2,200 fans.
Wake Forest opened the 2000 season in the first night game at Connecticut's Morrone Stadium. The Deacons won that game 2-1 in overtime, disappointing 4,376 Huskie fans.
 | Today's Game At A Glance #3 Wake Forest at Virginia Tech
|
Last Time Out... Wake Forest got off to a solid start with a pair of wins over top ten teams last weekend at the Wake Forest adidas Classic at Spry Stadium. On Friday, the Deacons registered a 2-0 victory over #10 Connecticut. Stephen Keel scored moments after halftime and Ryan Alexander sealed the win in a game that saw Wake Forest outshoot the Huskies 21-1.
On Saturday, the Deacons gave up the first goal to #5 St. John's but tied the game shortly after and eventually pulled away for a 3-1 win. Jeremiah White scored twice and Tomy Szczypiorski had the game winner. The Deacons outshot the Red Storm, 15-4.
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.
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, the publication announced on Monday.
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.
Poll Particulars... Wake Forest crept up to third in all national polls this week. Wake Forest has spent 28 straight weeks in the top 25 and 13 straight weeks in the top 10. The last time Wake Forest wasn't ranked was mid-October 2001.
Eight Deacon opponents are ranked in the top 25 including Maryland, North Carolina, Clemson, St. John's, South Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut and Duke. So far, Wake Forest is 3-0 against ranked foes including a preseason win over Coastal.
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.
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.
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 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. The freshman class also includes Chris Bastidas, Bobby Davis, Brian Edwards, Mark Ellington, Paul Slocum, Wells Thompson and David Worthen.
Up Next... for each of the next two weekends, the Deacons will travel to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Next Saturday, Wake Forest jumps into the ACC schedule at Virginia.
