Wake Forest Athletics
Defending ACC Champs Open Conference Season vs. Florida State
9/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2011
Wake Forest Notes
| Florida State Notes
The defending ACC Champion Wake Forest women's soccer team takes it's first step towards defending its conference crown on Thursday when it hosts No. 3 Florida State at 8 p.m. at Spry Stadium. Fans in the ACC footprint can also watch the game on teleivison on the ACC's Regional Sports Networks.
Following the match against the Seminoles, the No. 13 Demon Deacons will travel to face South Carolina on Sunday at 5 p.m. in Columbia, S.C.
Deacs Begin ACC Title Defense Against FSU
For the first time in program history, Wake Forest enters the ACC season as the defending champion in 2011 after winning last year's ACC Tournament.
The Deacons kick off the conference slate with a challenging match against Florida State. Wake Forest and Florida State split two games last season with the Seminoles earning a 1-0 home overtime victory during the regular season and the Deacons getting revenge with a 3-1 win in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
Wake Forest holds a 9-7-0 overall record in ACC openers. Their only previous meeting with Florida State in a conference opener came in 1998, when the Deacons earned a 3-1 home victory over the Seminoles.
Stengel Leads the ACC in Goals, Points
Katie Stengel currently sits in her familiar place on top of the ACC goal and point scoring charts. The sophomore forward has sole possession of the point-scoring lead with 19 points so far this season, and is tied with Virginia Tech's Kelly Conheeny for the goal-scoring lead with eight goals.
Stengel's hat trick against Campbell earlier in the season was the eighth in Wake Forest history and the first since 2008.
As a freshman in 2010, Stengel finished as the highest-scoring player in the ACC with her 16 goals and 34 points both topping the conference charts.
Feger and Meier Among ACC Assist Leaders
Senior Jordan Feger and junior Kristen Meier have carved out new roles as playmakers this season and are among the ACC leaders in assists.
Despite entering 2011 with only three career assists, Meier already has five this season, putting her in a tie for second among all ACC players. The Alpharetta, Ga. native recorded the first two-assist game of her career against Campbell earlier in the season.
Feger has been Katie Stengel's personal set-up woman this season with all four of her assists coming on Stengel goals. The two connected twice in Wake Forest's 5-0 victory over UNC Greensboro. Feger's four assists are tied for sixth-best in the conference.
Bledsoe's Fourth Shutout Sets New Career-High
Goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe continued to stop opposing goalscorers last weekend, shutting out Loyola (Md.) to earn her fourth shutout of the season, a new career-best for the sophomore.
Bledsoe has been helped by a Demon Deacon defense that has been significantly stingier than last season. In 2010, Wake Forest as a team kept only four shutouts over the entire season. The Deacons' experienced back line has allowed only 50 shots this season, forcing Bledsoe to make only 17 saves, the third-fewest of any ACC team.
Scouting Florida State
A perennial powerhouse both in the ACC and nationally, Florida State has again started strong in 2011 and sports a 7-1-0 record entering Thursday's match. The Seminoles earned an impressive win over Florida last weekend, and their only setback of the season came on the road at Portland.
Tiffany McCarty has paced FSU this season, leading the Seminole squad with seven goals and 15 points. Kelsey Wys has played the bulk of the time in net for the Noles, holding a 0.83 goals against average.
Florida State Series History
Wake Forest and Florida State have met on 21 previous occasions, with the Demon Deacons holding a 10-8-3 overall advantage in the series. In 2010, the Seminoles eked out a 1-0 overtime victory at home in the regular season before the Deacons bounced back for a 3-1 win in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships.
The last time the two sides met at Spry Stadium in 2009, Wake Forest scored a 3-0 triumph on two goals by Jill Hutchinson.
The Noles have had the better of the overall series in recent years, going 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings.
Scouting South Carolina
The Gamecocks have survived a grueling start to the season that saw them play six of their first seven games away from home. South Carolina put up a 5-2-0 record in those seven games with its best wins coming against Arizona and Clemson.
Kayla Grimsley and Danielle Au are tied for the team scoring lead with seven points apiece. Sabrina D'Angelo has played most of the games in goal, holding a stellar 0.39 goals against average.
South Carolina Series History
Wake Forest and South Carolina will play for the fifth time, with the Deacons holding a 2-1-1 overall advantage in the series. South Carolina posted its first-ever win over Wake last year in a 1-0 decision at Spry Stadium.
One of the most famous victories in Wake Forest women's soccer history came against South Carolina in 2009 when Bess Harrington headed home a corner kick with one second remaining on the clock to send the Demon Deacons past the Gamecocks 1-0 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, putting them in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time.
What's Next?
The Demon Deacons will continue conference play with a trip down I-40 to face in-state rival NC State on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. before returning to Winston-Salem for a match against Miami on Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. at Spry Stadium
