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Junior Jeremiah White has scored in each of the last four contests for the second-ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team.
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Men's Soccer Hosts South Carolina on Friday Night
Deacons, Gamecocks Meet in Battle of Nationally-Ranked Teams
Oct. 10, 2002
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Game #11
#11/13 South Carolina (7-2-1)
at #2/2 Wake Forest (8-0-2, 3-0 ACC)
Friday, Oct. 11, 7:00 pm
Spry Stadium
Radio: 1040 AM - WSGH
Deacons Host Gamecocks in Crucial Regional Battle
Second-ranked Wake Forest (8-0-2, 3-0 ACC) plays host to 11th-ranked
South Carolina in an important non-conference battle on Friday night at Spry
Stadium. The Deacons, still undefeated in 2002, have a perfect 4-0 record in
home games. That mark includes victories over a pair of ranked opponents --
Virginia and Maryland.
South Carolina ventures to Winston-Salem with an impressive 7-2-1 record.
The Gamecocks suffered their second loss last weekend to archrival Clemson, 2-1
in overtime.
Since Jay Vidovich took over as head coach of the Deacons in 1994, Wake
Forest's series with South Carolina has been evenly played. Each club has
won three games and the series has also seen two ties.
The Gamecocks and Deacons have played one common opponent this
season, NC State. Wake Forest defeated the Wolfpack last weekend 2-0 in
Cary while the Gamecocks beat NC State in Durham on Sept. 6, 2-1.
Shutout Streak Reaches Four Games; 465 Minutes
Suffice to say, Wake Forest has been on a roll in just about all aspects of the
game, but especially on defense. The Deacons haven't allowed a goal since
the 15th minute of the September 21 game at St. John's. Since then, Wake
Forest has compiled a shutout streak of more than 465 minutes -- blanking St.
John's for 95 minutes and the entire games against UNC Greensboro,
Maryland, William & Mary and NC State.
Thanks to the those shutouts, William Hesmer's goals against average has
dropped from an already low at 0.75 to a microscopic 0.47 mark.
White Continues Torrid Scoring Pace
Don't look now but junior Jeremiah White has picked up right where he left
off in the 2001 season. After missing five of the team's first six games to
injury, White has come back to play, and score, in each of the last four
contests.
Last year, White led the Atlantic Coast Conference with 16 goals, was named
first team All-ACC and third team All-American.
Super Subs
There probably isn't another team in the country that brings as much talent
off the bench as Wake Forest does. There definitely isn't a team in the
country that brings as much scoring punch off the bench. In fact, five of the
team's last six goals, nine of the team's 20 goals overall, have been scored by
reserves. Two of the team's top three scorers have not started a game this
season.
Jeremiah White, the ACC's leading scorer last season was slowed earlier in
the season with injury. He has only played in five games but has wasted no
time in getting back to form, already with four goals.
Ryan Alexander, a freshman from Southfield, Mich., is tied with Vicente
Bastidas as the team leader in points (11). Alexander has appeared in all ten
games, all as a substitute. He has been selective with his shots with just 14,
but has found the net with four.
Kelvin Jones, a defender, has been in the same boat as White as far as
injuries go. Pencilled in as a starter in the preseason, Jones missed the first three
games with injury. He has returned in a reserve role and has been a major
boost to the defense. In the seven games Jones has played, the team has
allowed just two goals.
The elder statesman of the bunch is senior Adam Hakes. Early in his Wake
Forest career, Hakes proved to be a threat in the goal area. But no one knew
exactly how much Hakes could contribute this season after missing the entire
2001 season with a knee injury. He has undergone numerous surgeries but as
a senior, has found his way back into the rotation with a goal and two assists.
Wake Forest Remains #2 in Soccer America Poll
Ranked second, the Demon Deacons are higher in the Soccer America and
NSCAA poll than ever before in the 22-year history of the program. Wake
has spent 13 straight weeks in the polls, dating back to October 15, 2001. In
the preseason, WFU was ranked 22nd by Soccer America.
Bienvenidos a Que Pasa!
Friday's game will air live locally in Winston-Salem on Spanish-speaking
"Que Pasa" radio, 1040 AM - WSGH. The station is also scheduled to
broadcast next week's home game against Clemson.
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