Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacons to Open 2011 Season vs. Auburn, UCF
8/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 18, 2011
Wake Forest Notes 
| Auburn Notes
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AUBURN, Ala. - The defending ACC champion Wake Forest women's soccer team will begin its 2011 campaign this weekend when it travels for road matches against Auburn on Aug. 19 (8 p.m. Eastern) and Central Florida on Aug. 21 (7 p.m.).
The Demon Deacons return 85 percent of the scoring from last year's championship season, including sophomore Katie Stengel, who set new school records in 2010 with 16 goals and 37 points, and sophomore Rachel Nuzzolese who netted nine goals in 11 games before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Champs Are Back
In 2011, the Wake Forest women's soccer team enters the season as defending ACC champions for the first time in the history of the program. The Demon Deacons captured their first-ever conference crown by putting together a Cinderella run through the 2010 ACC Tournament, becoming the lowest-seeded team ever to win the title.
The Deacs headed to Cary, N.C., site of the 2010 tourney, as the No. 5 seed and opened tournament play with a convincing 3-1 shellacking of an less-than-full-strength Florida State side in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals they would face the bracket's No. 1 seed, 20-time champion North Carolina. Wake struck first on a Jackie McSally goal just after halftime and appeared headed for the victory before Meghan Klingenberg equalized three minutes from time for the Tar Heels, sending the game to overtime. After two scoreless periods, the match headed to a shootout where the Deacons went a perfect 5-for-5 on penalty kicks to advance to the championship match, keeping UNC out of the finals for the first time in the history of the tournament.
The Deacons' final opponent would be second-seeded Maryland. Ashley Grove struck in the fifth minute for the Terps, before Katie Stengel tied the game with a goal of her own in the 19th minute. The rest of the game saw no more scoring, putting the Demon Deacons in another penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe proved to be the hero, stopping three Terrapin penalty kicks to give Wake Forest its first-ever ACC title.
Katie Stengel Set for Sophomore Season
There's an old adage that says that the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. If it holds true this year, the soccer world better watch out for Katie Stengel, given what she accomplished as a freshman last season.
As a rookie in 2010, Stengel established herself as one of the top strikers in the country on the way to setting numerous school records and racking up an impressive list of awards and honors. The Melbourne, Fla. native finished 2010 with 16 goals and 37 points, not only the most-ever for a Wake Forest player and the most of anyone in the ACC last year, but also the most of any Division I freshman nationwide.
She was recognized as the 2010 National Freshman of the Year by Top Drawer Soccer in addition to being named ACC Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-ACC.
Stengel Garners Preseason Recognition
After a dynamic freshman season, Katie Stengel has received national attention, being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List and Soccer America's Preseason All-America Team.
Last year, Stengel became the first-ever Demon Deacon to be named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, considered the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. She is now the first-ever Wake Forest player to make the Hermann Trophy Preseason Watch List.
Stengel is one of only two sophomores on the 25-player Preseason All-America Team. She is the first-ever Demon Deacon to earn Preseason All-America honors after last year becoming the first-ever Wake Forest freshman to be named an All-American at the end of the season.
Da Luz Among the ACC's Best
With the Deacons earning 13 wins last season, head coach Tony da Luz moved up to become the second-winningest coach in the history of ACC women's soccer.
Da Luz has won 173 games at Wake Forest, the second-most of any coach at an ACC school since 1987 when the conference recognized women's soccer as a sanctioned sport. Da Luz began the 2010 season as the third-winningest coach in the history of the league. With the Demon Deacons' win over LSU on Sept. 3, 2010, he passed Bill Hempden, who accumulated 162 wins coaching Duke from 1988-2000, for second place.
Da Luz, who has been the coach at Wake Forest since 1997, was named the 1998 ACC Coach of the Year.
Trial by Fire
Few teams will open the 2011 season with as difficult of a stretch as Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons will kick off the season slate with three straight road games, all against teams that earned bids to the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Deacons' season opener will come on August 19 when they head to Alabama to take on Auburn. Wake will then head to Orlando for a game against defending Conference USA champion UCF on August 21. The Knights were a No. 4 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round before falling on the road at UCLA.
After the game against UCF, the Deacons will return to Winston-Salem for a few days before making the short trip down I-40 for a match with defending Southern Conference champions UNC Greensboro.
Wake Forest is the only team in the ACC to start the 2011 regular season with three road games. Both Florida State and Miami will travel for their first two games before returning home for their third contest.
Wake Forest in Season Openers
The Demon Deacons have a history of success in their first game of the season, holding a 10-4-3 overall record in season openers, including season-opening wins in each of the past three seasons.
Last year, Wake Forest opened the year with a 4-0 road thrashing of UNC Wilmington in a coming-out party for freshman phenoms Katie Stengel and Rachel Nuzzolese. Stengel and Nuzzolese each posted three-point nights with a goal and an assist in their first college games, and Nuzzolese unleashed 12 shots against the Seahawks, two shy of the Wake Forest single-game record.
This season, the Deacs start the year against Auburn, marking the eighth time in their history that they have opened the season against a BCS Conference team and the first since 2004 when they tied Vanderbilt in their opener. Overall, Wake Forest is 3-2-3 against BCS Conference teams in season openers and 0-0-2 against SEC teams.
Scouting Auburn
Defending SEC West Division champions, Auburn heads into the 2011 season fresh off of its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tigers fell in last year's first round to South Florida.
Auburn returns six starters, including last year's leading scorer senior and 2011 Preseason All-American Katy Frierson who finished the season with eight goals and 12 assists for a total of 28 points. In net, the Tigers bring back junior Amy Howard, who started all 21 games last season, finishing the year with 72 saves and a 1.23 GAA.
Head coach Karen Hoppa is in her 12th season at the helm of the Tigers, holding a 136-93-21 all-time record.
Wake Forest and Auburn have split their only two previous meetings with the Demon Deacons earning a road win in 1997 and the Tigers picking up a victory in Winston-Salem in 1994 - the inaugural season for Wake Forest women's soccer
Scouting UCF
The Knights have fought their way into the national soccer scene in recent years, winning Conference USA in 2010 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Tishia Jewell, who led UCF with 10 goals, 12 assists and 32 points in 2010 comes back, as does senior goalkeeper Aline Reis who started 20 games last year, making 77 saves and posting a 1.03 goals against average.
Head coach Amanda Cromwell is in her 13th year at UCF, having posted a 173-73-18 record there and guiding the Knights to two consecutive national seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest and UCF will be meeting for the first time.
What's up Next?
The Demon Deacons fill face another road test with a short trip down I-40 to take on defending Southern Conference champions UNC Greensboro. The Demon Deacons have a dominating 11-2-1 all-time record against the Spartans, though UNCG pulled off a 2-1 upset at Spry Stadium last year.
