By Jay Reddick

Doing just about anything for 10 hours can be taxing. If you work at any job for 10 hours in a day, an overtime check may be in order. If you're sleeping 10 hours a night, more power to you.

But what about stopping soccer balls screaming at your head and body for 10 hours, without ever letting one get past you? That's just about what William Hesmer has done for the Wake Forest men's soccer team.

The Deacons not only began the season undefeated through 11 games, but the team did not allow a goal for a stretch of nearly one month, from early in a game at St. John's on Sept. 21, through the team's game against Clemson on Oct. 19. And for all of that time, Hesmer has been the goalkeeper, the last line of defense for what some around the offices at Wake Forest call, simply, "The Streak."

"The Streak" was ended against Clemson, when the Deacons and the Tigers played to a 2-2 tie.

Blanking opponents isn't all that new for Hesmer, a junior from Wilson. After all, he had six shutouts last season. But they weren't all in a row. Still, he's taking it in stride.

"I'm not feeling pressure, really, just going with the flow," Hesmer said, prior to the Clemson game. "I'm not thinking about the streak."

The soft-spoken goalie had a feeling that the team in front of him would be playing its best soccer right about now. He just didn't expect the way the Deacons got to this point.

"(Before the year started,) we knew we had an incredible first seven games of the season," Hesmer said. "We actually had meetings where we said, 'Guys, we could be 3-3 and still playing good soccer. We just know we have to keep battling and that later on down the road, we'll come together.' We came together so quickly. Hopefully, we can keep peaking."

When asked why the team got off to such a quick start, Hesmer had a litany of answers.

"It was definitely fitness level, definitely skills, definitely how close our team is," he said. "It was a lot of hard work and a lot of desire.

"The older guys got the freshmen adjusted to our system. The freshmen have been key parts to our success."

Another key, of course, has been Hesmer himself. A longtime club and Olympic Development player, Hesmer took this summer off from competitive soccer. He stayed in Winston-Salem and worked on his strength and agility.

"We were in the weight room all the time, and we'd go running in the mornings," Hesmer said. "At night, we'd round up as many people as we could and play soccer. I was playing short-sided a lot, and spent a lot of time playing in the field (instead of in goal). As the summer went on, I played goalie more and more."

The work helped Hesmer physically, but also improved the mental side of the game for him. He found himself able to read the game in front of him better as this season got under way.

Hesmer's play has helped the Deacons to a No. 2 ranking nationally, which is gratifying for the goalie.

"It's something you pay attention to," Hesmer said. "It's nice to know that people think highly of you. But if you ask some of the other guys, we should be higher. (No. 1) Stanford has a loss, (No. 3) St. John's has a loss, and we tied St. John's up there. But I'm just glad to be where we are. After all, that's the standard for the NCAA tournament, so that's where you're fitting in."

Still, even a "go-with-the-flow" athlete such as Hesmer knows that the tough part is still ahead.

"It's exciting, but yet, you have to keep yourself grounded," Hesmer said. "The most important part of the season is coming. This is when the best teams step up to the top.

"It's been a great run, but it's only the beginning."