No. 3 Wake Forest to Face Off with UNCG
10/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 17, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -
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No. 3 Demon Deacons vs. Spartans...
The Wake Forest men's soccer team returns home to Spry Stadium for a non-conference match-up with I-40 rival UNC Greensboro on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Deacons are coming off a 1-0 win at then-third ranked North Carolina. Julian Valentin scored his second game-winner in as many games in the 19th minute of action to put the Deacons ahead for good. The win kept Wake Forest's perfect road record intact. The Deacons are 6-0 in road games this season and 8-0 overall away from Spry Stadium. Wake's last home contest saw the Deacons (4-2-1, home) come away with a 2-2 tie against Boston College. UNCG is coming off a 1-0 home win over High Point.
A Win Would...
improve the Demon Deacons to 13-2-1 overall ... extend Wake Forest's unbeaten streak to seven games ... give Wake Forest a 5-2-1 record at Spry Stadium in 2006 ... make the Deacons 10-0 against non-conference foes this season ... extend Wake Forest's winning streak against the Spartans to two ... give head coach Jay Vidovich his 160th career victory.
A Loss Would...
drop the Demon Deacons to 12-3-1 overall ... snap Wake Forest's unbeaten streak at six games ... give Wake Forest a 4-3-1 record at home in 2006 ... make the Deacons 9-1 against non-conference foes this season .... give the Deacs their second loss in the past three seasons to the Spartans ... extend the Spartans' winning streak to two at Spry Stadium... deny head coach Jay Vidovich his 160th career victory.
Deacons Dominant in Recent History...
Since renewing the rivalry with UNCG in 1999, the Deacons have owned the series against the Spartans. Wake Forest owns a 6-1 record versus UNCG with its only loss coming in the 2004 season at Spry. The Deacons' only other win before then was in 1987, a 3-1 victory at home. The series with UNCG was on hiatus from 1990-1998.
Wake Forest Trends...
Senior Wells Thompson currently leads the Deacs with 12 points off five goals and two assists. Following close behind is fellow senior Steven Curfman, who currently has five assists and three goals for 11 points.
After not recording a single goal or assist last fall, sophomore Marcus Tracy is fourth on the team with nine points in 2006. He is also second on the team with four goals this season.
Sophomore Michael Lahoud is second on the team with four assists after recording another against Coastal Carolina. Lahoud is also fifth on the squad in total points with eight.
Wake Forest has out-shot its opponents 206-138, including a 108-77 second-half margin. As a result, the Deacs have out-scored the opposition 32-13 overall and 19-8 in the second half.
Redshirt junior Brian Edwards upped his own school record for career shutouts to 27 Friday at North Carolina. Edwards has started all of the Deacons last 57 matches and has nine shutouts this season. Edwards enters the contest against UNCG with a 0.83 goals-against-average.
Wake Forest had nine different players score its first nine goals this season. The Demon Deacons currently have 12 different players with goals this season, eclipsing the total number of all of the 2005 season.
Valentin Honored...
Junior Julian Valentin was named both the ACC's and TopDrawerSoccer.com's Player of the Week for his performances against Connecticut and North Carolina. The Lancaster, Pa., native scored game-winners in both matches against the nationally-ranked opponents. Against then-23rd UConn on Oct. 10, Valentin notched the golden goal in the 103rd minute of double overtime, heading in the free kick from senior Ryan Solle. Three days later, the All-America candidate put in another game-winner, scoring the lone goal in the team's match at then-third UNC. A defender, Valentin was also instrumental in preserving shutouts against both teams.
Poll Position...
Wake Forest remained ranked inside the top 25 in each of the three major polls. The Deacons are ranked second (College Soccer News) and third (Soccer America & NSCAA) . Wake Forest extended its impressive streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the top 25 to 73 weeks. The streak dates all the way back to the start of the 2001 season.
