Wake Forest University
Clemson
Men's Soccer Cuts Down Clemson, 2-0
10/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 22, 2004
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - On Wake Forest Senior Night, the script could not have gone more perfectly. Fellow seniors' Scott Sealy and Ryan Caugherty each scored to help the ninth-ranked Demon Deacons knock off Clemson, 2-0, in men's ACC soccer action from Spry Stadium Friday night. With the victory, Wake Forest captured its sixth consecutive match and improved to 9-3-1 overall and 3-1-0 in the league.
After the two teams went scoreless for most of the first half, the Deacs finally broke through a packed Clemson defense in the 42nd minute. The Tigers spent most of the opening half with eight and nine players behind the ball after defender J.D. Brooks was issued a red card for a violent tackle on Wake Forest sophomore Ryan Solle.
Junior defender Michael Parkhurst gained possession just inside the Tiger midfield and spotted sophomore Mark Ellington streaking across the penalty area. Ellington received the pass and then with the back of his heel found Sealy breaking into the box. In one touch, Sealy placed the ball perfectly into the far corner past Clemson goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap at 41:21.
The goal for Sealy was his 11th of the season and 37th of his Demon Deacon career. The forward moved into a tie for second place with former All-American Jeremiah White for second place on the all-time goal list. Sealy also moved into a tie for fifth place in single season goals. Now with 91 career points, he has tied Ben Stafford for third place in career points.
With a man advantage the rest of the way, the Demon Deacons really poured on the attack. Wake Forest held a slim advantage in shots, 4-3, at halftime, but outshot the Tigers, 12-1, the rest of the way.
The Deacs iced the victory in the 87th minute of play. Solle beat a Tiger defender and pushed the ball into the Clemson defensive third. With a Tiger defender charging, Solle laid the ball off perfectly to Caugherty. The senior's blast ripped the side netting inside the far post. The goal is Caugherty's third of his career.
The two goal-cushion was more than enough for the Demon Deacon defense and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Edwards. The netminder made a pair of saves en route to his second straight shutout and fifth of the season. Edwards has not allowed a goal in 244:11 -- a span dating back to the first half of the 3-1 victory over Loyola Marymount on Oct. 15.
The victory is the sixth consecutive for Wake Forest since they dropped three straight earlier this season. It marks the fourth time in the past five seasons that the Demon Deacons have recorded a winning streak of at least six matches. The victory also proved to be the fourth straight on Senior Night and also was the first regular season home win over Clemson since 1996.
The Demon Deacons now turn their attention to a brutal four-game road stretch to close the regular season. Wake Forest hits the road for Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Davidson and Duke. The Deacs open the trip on Tuesday, Oct. 26, against the Hokies. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
-- WakeForestSports.com --
