Wake Forest Men's Soccer Travels To Elon
9/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 12, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -
Demon Deacons Look To Rebound After Heartbreaking Loss...
The Wake Forest men's soccer will look to rebound against Elon after a heartbreaking loss to No. 6 Duke last friday night. The game will mark the fourth meeting between the nearby teams and just the second in Elon.
A Win This Evening Would...
improve the Demon Deacons to 5-1 overall ... snap a one game losing streak ... give Wake Forest its first road victory this season ... give the Deacs a 3-1 record against ranked opponents this season ... improve the Deacs record over the Phoenix to 5-0 ... give the Demon Deacons a 2-0 record against Elon on the road and first since 1981 ... improve 11th-year head coach Jay Vidovich a 41-35-7 record on the road ... give Vidovich his 152nd career victory.
A Loss This Evening Would... drop the Demon Deacons to 4-2 ... give Wake Forest its second consecutive victory, marking the first time since Nov. 4, 2005 that the Deacs have dropped two consecutive games ... give the Deacs their second consecutive loss to a top-25 ranked opponent this season ... hand the Deacs their first loss to Elon in the series ... mark the first time that Wake Forest has lost on the road to Elon ... drop head coach Jay Vidovich's road record to 40-36-7 ... deny 11th-year head coach Jay Vidovich his 152nd career victory.
Wake Forest Trends * The last time the Demon Deacons opened the season with a 4-1 overall record was in the 2003 season and that season was very similar to the way Wake has opened 2006. The Deacs won their first three matches -- two of which were against ranked opponents, only to fall in the ACC opener.
* Wake Forest had nine different players score its first nine goals this season. The Demon Deacons currently have 11 different players with goals this season, matching total number of all of the 2005 season.
* Senior Steven Curfman is a set-piece specialist. The defender has already posted nine points this season on two goals and four assists. Both goals and three of the five assists have come directly on set pieces.
* Redshirt junior Brian Edwards upped his own school record for career shutouts to 21 on Sept. 1 against Penn State. Edwards has started all of the Deacons last 49 matches.
* The Carolina Nike Classic may have to look into a name change. With their championship this season, Wake Forest has won the event each of the past three years. In fact, the Demon Deacons are 7-0-1 all-time in the tournament. The two victories this past weekend also extended Wake's unbeaten streak at Fetzer Field to 10. The Deacs have not lost a match in Chapel Hill since 2000.
Scouting Elon...
The Phoenix opened its season with an impressive 6-1-0 start, and has earned its first-ever NCAA Division I national ranking this week. The Phoenix sits 22nd in the Soccer America Top-25 after a 2-1 week which saw the squad knock off #17 UAB by a 2-0 score. The game against the Deacs will mark the second consecutive game against a ranked opponent.
Elon is one of only two teams in the nation to enter this week with six victories. The other is SMU who boasts a 6-0-0 mark and is ranked number one in the country.
The Phoenix is coached by second year head coach Darren Powell and are lead by a trio of underclassmen -- sophomore Kiki Willis, and freshmen Justin Wyatt and Steven Kinney, each who have earned three goals on the season.
All-time Meetings With ElonH. 3-0; A: 0-0, N: 0-02004 H W, 2-02002 H W, 3-11981 A W, 1-01980 H W, 2-1
Poll Position...
Wake Forest remained ranked inside the top-25 in each of the three major polls. The Deacons are ranked 7th (Soccer America), 5th (NSCAA) and 7th (College Soccer News). Wake Forest extended its impressive streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the top 25 to 67 weeks. The streak dates all the way back to the start of the 2001 season.
Demon Deacons Suffer ACC heartbreaker...
Playing in front of a record-breaking crowd of over 4,000 people, the Demon Deacons dropped a heartbreaking ACC opener against Duke last Friday night. The game didn't lack excitement as the two teams combined for four goals in the game's final 15 minutes and the match featured three ties and four lead changes. The loss dropped the Deacs to 3-21-3 all-time in ACC openers and drops the Deacs to 2-10-2 all-time in ACC openers at home.
Not So Neutral...
In completely neutral site regular season tournaments, as was the case at the Carolina Nike Classic, Wake Forest is a perfect 2-0 this season. In fact, the Deacs are 11-2-1 in those type matches since the 2000 season. The Demon Deacons have captured the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Carolina Nike Classic, as well as 2001 George Mason University/Kappa Classic.
Wake Forest Owns Carolina Nike Classic...
The Demon Deacons are unbeaten in the four-year history of the tournament... Wake Forest has won seven straight matches in tournament history... The Deacs have captured the tournament title each of the last three seasons... Wake Forest has out-scored its opponents, 20-7, in its eight all-time matches. The Deacons have trailed just three times over the eight matches.
