Wake Forest Athletics
Fall Sports Spotlight: Field Hockey Hosts UNC on Friday
9/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 4, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The No.3 Wake Forest field hockey team will host the top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday at 7 p.m. for the Fall Spots Spotlight Game of the Week.
Optomist Field Hockey, a Wake Forest field hockey partner, will be giving away Wake Forest Rally Noodles and provide halftime entertainment in conjunction with WFU marketing. After the game fans will have a chance to get autographs from the student-athletes.
The Demon Deacons will enter the contest after opening the season with an undefeated performance in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, topping No. 5 Iowa and No. 9 Michigan. The Tar Heels are 1-1 for the year, posting a win over Michigan and a loss to Iowa at the Challenge in Winston-Salem last weekend.
UNC's Danielle Forword, a junior forward out of South Africa, was named ACC Player of the Week for her career-high four goals against Michigan on August 30. Wake Forest midfielder Melissa Martin also received honors this week, taking the Women's Field Hockey.com Player of the Week award for aiding in the team's back-to-back wins with two goals and two assists during the weekend.
Friday's meeting will be the first of two regular season matchups between the Deacs and the Tar Heels. On October 4, UNC will host Wake Forest for the game that will count in conference standings.
North Carolina holds a 29-17 advantage since the series began in 1972. While the rivalry between the two teams has always been extremely competitive, in the last two years the battles between the two squads have been hotter than ever.
In 2006, Wake Forest blanked UNC 3-0 en route to its third ACC Tournament title. In the following meeting during the 2007 regular season, the Tar Heels posted a lop-sided win of 5-0 but battled the Deacons in overtime of the ACC Championship. A penalty stroke during the extra period gave the Tar Heels a 4-3 win and the conference crown. UNC capped off its undefeated season with the NCAA Championship.
- www.WakeForestSports.com -
