Wake Forest Athletics
No. 6 Wake Forest Hosts Elon in Midweek Game
9/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 22, 2009
Wake Forest-Elon Game Notes 
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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Coming off its first loss of the season, the No. 6 Wake Forest men's soccer team looks to bounce back on Wednesday night when it plays host to in-state foe Elon. Kickoff at Spry Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
The Demon Deacons suffered their first loss of the 2009 campaign on Friday night, falling 1-0 to Virginia. Mike Volk's goal in the 25th minute for the Cavaliers proved to be difference. Wake Forest had several opportunities to equalize, but were unable to find the back of the net.
Wake Forest will look to start a new home unbeaten streak on Wednesday night. The Demon Deacons had their 35-game streak without a loss at home snapped against the Cavaliers. The streak ranks as the fourth longest in NCAA history.
Sean Randolph and Austin da Luz are tied for the team lead in points with four. Randolph has a team-best two goals, which also ranks in a tie for seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while da Luz leads the team with four assists. The four assists also places him in a tie for third in the conference.
Akira Fitzgerald has posted a 0.77 goals against average through the first five games of the season. Fitzgerald has made 25 saves on the season and leads the ACC in save percentage, saving over 86 percent of the shots he has faced.
Elon enters Wednesday's match with a 3-2-1 record. After dropping their first two matches of the season, the Phoenix are unbeaten in their last four games, including a 3-0 victory against East Tennessee State last time out. Elon has already posted one victory against an ACC team this year, defeating Clemson 2-0.
Offensively, the Phoenix are led by Chris Thomas, who has a team-high three goals and seven points on the season. Erfan Imeni has a team-leading three assists on the campaign.
Clint Irwin has played well in goal for Elon. In 560 minutes of action, Irwin has allowed just three goals and made 18 saves. Irwin has posted a 0.48 goals against average and recorded four shutouts in 2009.
Wake Forest and Elon are meeting for the seventh time in series history. The Demon Deacons are unbeaten in the previous six meetings, holding a 5-0-1 series edge. The two teams last met on October 1, 2008, with Wake Forest claiming a 3-0 win at Elon. In four previous meetings in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest has a 3-0-1 edge.
In conjunction with Wednesday's game, Second Harvest will host a canned food drive. Any fan that brings two canned goods to the game can receive a free ticket with the purchase of another ticket.
Tickets for Wednesday's game are $6 each and can be purchased by calling the Wake Forest ticket office at (336) 758-3322, 1-888-758-DEAC, or online at WakeForestSports.com. Tickets will also be available at the Spry Stadium box office on gameday.
Live stats and a recap from Wednesday's game will be available on WakeForestSports.com.
