Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Women's Soccer Countdown To Kickoff
8/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 9, 2005
Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's soccer program is entering its 11th season overall and the ninth under head coach Tony da Luz. The Deacons are coming off a season which ended in a disappointing loss to UAB in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The team closed the year with a final record of 10-7-2 and a conference record of 4-4-1.
The 3-3-4...
The Deacons are looking to employ a 3-3-4 set this year playing with three forwards, three midfielders, and four backs.
Deacs with plenty of experience...
Wake Forest is returning 10 starters this season with the lone loss being Alli Hunt who graduated in May. The Deacs are also returning 22 letterwinners in addition to seven freshmen.
Kozey's assault on the recordbooks...
Senior forward Sarah Kozey is looking to rewrite several Demon Deacon records in 2005. Kozey currently stands in third place on the career goals list with 27 and trails Emily Taggert (1998-2001) by just two. Kozey also ranks in third in career points with 68 and trails Annie Shropshire (85 points, 1996-99) and Taggert (76 points).
Schneider ready to make a statement...
Senior midfielder Melanie Schneider joins Kozey as the only seniors on the team. Schneider returns as an attacking midfielder who has the capability to take control of the field. The coaching staff believes that Schneider, a true team leader, has an All-American caliber season left for her final season.
da Luz closing in on 100...
Head coach Tony da Luz is just seven wins shy of the century mark at Wake Forest. For his career, da Luz is 11 wins away from recording number 150 in his 13 year career. da Luz began his career coaching at his alma mater San Diego before moving to Winston-Salem.
Doe in goal...
In the spring, the Deacons moved junior Kaitlyn Doe from the field into the goal. Doe joins sophomore Heather Currie, who started almost every game for the Deacons in 2004, to compete for the goalkeeper position throughout preseason and the season.
da Luz on...
the front line...
"Up front we'll have more depth than we have ever had. We're going to have a lot of everything - skillful players, players with speed, and players with power. So, if we find the right mix, if different situations present themselves, or if we have to match up with opponents differently, then we have a lot of options. It's just a dangerous front line. I intend to play with three forwards, and I'm real excited about what we get production-wise out of the forwards."
the midfield...
"The midfield is the same; there is a lot of depth. We'll probably play with three midfielders. There are six to eight players all competing for one of the three spots, giving us a lot of depth. It is a very technical midfield. These girls are very comfortable with the ball, and understand the game."
the back...
"The backline from what we did in the spring is very solid with Jayme Liegh Cargnoni, Nichole Lecznar, and Keisha Garrick and at right back that is probably the only spot on the field that is up in the air. We've got a lot of strong players vying for that position. I don't have any issues with our backline right now. We're going to be solid."
the goalkeepers...
"Heather Currie had a solid freshman year in the cage and hopefully she'll be able to build on. Katie Doe is very anxious to play. She wants to play on the field, so it's going to be a very competitive situation. Hopefully it will be healthy competition and they'll push each other."
Another year, another tough schedule...
Coach da Luz has never been one to shy away from the competition both in and out of the ACC, and this year is no different. The Deacons have a very tough schedule once again in 2005, both in conference and nonconference schedule. Wake Forest opens with a home dates versus UNC-Wilmington, Santa Clara, and San Diego. The Deacs then travel out west to battle Washington State and Oregon State.
"We've got some very good teams with Santa Clara and San Diego," da Luz said. "If we can go undefeated against the west region - Oregon State, Washington State - that'll be a huge plus for us in the NCAA Tournament as far as our seeding goes, RPI and everything else. From the West Regional on I'd love to go undefeated. That'll go a long way."
The Deacons will compete once again in one of the toughest conferences in the nation, the ACC. The Deacs were selected seventh in the Preseason ACC Women's Soccer Poll. North Carolina earned 10 of the 11 possible first place votes; Virginia was second with one first place vote, followed by Duke, Clemson, ACC newcomer Boston College, Florida State, and then the Deacs. Maryland, Virginia Tech, NC State, and Miami rounded out the poll.
"It's almost impossible to go through our league without suffering a loss," said da Luz. "My goal is to finish in the top three places in league this year. Hopefully we can go against North Carolina in that last game with a chance to win the title."
Wake Forest will open the season with an exhibition game on Monday August 15 at Ohio State. The Deacons will then host Texas in an exhibition game on Friday August 19. The team opens the season with its first match on Friday August 26 against UNC-Wilmington at Spry Stadium at 7:00 pm.
