Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Florida State
No. 13 Deacs Stun No. 3 Seminoles in ACC Opener
9/15/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 15, 2011
Final Stats | Final Stats (PDF) 
| 
Photo Gallery
Follow Wake Forest Women's Soccer on Twitter
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's soccer team took the first step towards defending its ACC championship Thursday, getting two goals from Katie Stengel to shutout No. 3 Florida State 2-0 at Spry Stadium in its ACC opener. The Seminoles are the highest-ranked team that the Deacons have defeated since 2004.
"We beat a quality team," said head coach Tony da Luz. "Florida State is outstanding, and it was a great job by our players. It's a great result for our team, and I'm really proud of our kids to get a win like this as the first game of the ACC season."
Stengel, the ACC's leading scorer with 10 goals, struck first with under two minutes remaining in the opening period to send the Deacons (7-1-0, 1-0-0 ACC) into the locker room with a lead and then picked up an insurance goal in the 57th minute. A pair of defenders played the key roles in the scores, with Alisha Woodson playing a 30-yard ball to Stengel to set up the first goal and Jackie Logue delivering the cross that Stengel headed in for the second.
"Florida State is a great team that has so many good players that work so well together, so it was great to get a couple goals," said Stengel. "(The goal) just before halftime really set the tone for the second half. The defense came up big. Aubrey and the whole back line worked so well together."
Aubrey Bledsoe earned her fifth shutout of the year in net, making only one save. Kesley Wys took the loss for Florida State (7-2-0, 0-1-0 ACC), making three saves.
The No. 3 Seminoles are the highest-ranked team that Wake Forest has defeated since they downed a third-ranked Virginia squad in 2004.
The Seminoles had the better of the possession in the opening period, but it was Wake Forest that scored the first goal on a counterattack in the 44th minute. Alisha Woodson launched a long ball from the Demon Deacon half of the field and Stengel sped past the Seminole defense, taking possession and dribbling a step inside the 18-yard box before firing a shot low past Wys to give the Deacs a 1-0 advantage.
Buoyed with confidence from their first score, the Deacs came out inspired to start the second half and their pressure paid off in the 57th minute. Jackie Logue launched a cross from the left that Stengel ran under at the back post, perfectly placing a header into the corner of the net.
"I think that's my first-ever header goal," said Stengel. "It was a great ball from Jackie, and I'm just glad that I didn't shy away from it."
Though the Seminoles were held scoreless for the first time this season, it was not for lack of chances. Three Florida State shots clanged off the cross bar in the second half, but the Noles were also the beneficiary of some luck themselves when a Riley Ridgik shot from midfield glanced off of the right post.
Florida State phenom Tiffany McCarty took four shots in the contest, but none of them were on goal. In fact, of the Seminoles 14 shots, only one was on target.
The Demon Deacons will return to action on Sunday when they travel to face South Carolina at 5 p.m. in Columbia, S.C. Wake's next home match will come on Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. against Miami.
