Nov. 5, 2004

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. - Without the services of senior Amir Lowery, junior Justin Moose and sophomore Steven Curfman, Wake Forest found themselves down 3-0 against Duke just 25 minutes into the match. As if that was not enough to overcome, the fifth-ranked Demon Deacons were then forced to play a man down after Stephen Keel was issued a red card. Despite the seemingly overwhelming odds, the Deacs rallied to cut the deficit to just a single goal, but the 19th-ranked Blue Devils held on for dear life and a 3-2 victory in ACC men's soccer action from Koskinen Stadium Friday night.

Despite the defeat, the Demon Deacons (12-4-1, 5-2-0 ACC) still earned the 2004 ACC Regular Season Championship due in part to Maryland's 1-0 victory over Virginia in other ACC action.

Trailing 3-0 with just under 20 minutes to go in the match, Wake Forest scored its first goal. Senior midfielder James Riley spotted junior defender Michael Parkhurst alone in the middle of the field. Parkhurst, an All-American and Hermann Trophy candidate, beat three Duke defenders and slotted the ball past Blue Devil goalkeeper Justin Trowbridge. The goal is not only Parkhurst's first of the season, but also the first of his career.

The Deacs continued to pressure the Blue Devils back line, even without sophomore Ryan Solle. The sophomore, who leads the Deacs with nine assists on the season, was lost for much of the second half after an injury.

The pressure resulted in another goal in the 85th minute. Riley again found space in the Duke defensive third. After beating one Blue Devil, Riley played the ball square to an unmarked Ryan Caugherty. The senior then hammered a shot into the far lower corner past Trowbridge. Caugherty has now scored two goals this season, while the assist was Riley's fourth.

Wake Forest nearly equalized on a piece of individual brilliance from Parkhurst. The central defender received the ball at midfield, then split two Duke defenders before beating a third. Parkhurst then beat another Blue Devil defender. Despite two more backs between him and the goal, Parkhurst dumped the ball past both defenders and broke free behind the defense. Parkhurst was free to go one-on-one with Trowbridge, but senior Tomy Szczypiorski mistakenly ran onto the ball and did so in an offside position.

That would prove to be the last scoring chance for the Deacs. Wake Forest had its season-high nine match winning streak snapped -- falling just one victory short of a single-season school record of 10 straight victories. The loss was the Deacs first on the road this season (6-1) and first away from Spry Stadium (8-1-1). Wake Forest was looking to complete its second ever undefeated regular season on the road.

With the 2004 regular season closed, Wake Forest will embark on next week's ACC Tournament. As the tournament's top seed, the Demon Deacons must wait for the match between Virginia Tech and NC State to determine their opponent. While the opponent is still undecided, the Deacs will open Wed., Nov. 10 at the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C. Kickoff for their match is also unknown as of Friday night.