Nov. 24, 2004
Demon Deacons (14-5-1) vs. Rams (12-5-2)
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Sat., Nov 27 - 7:00
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Spry Stadium - Winston-Salem, N.C.
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NCAA Scoreboard
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Demon Deacons Meet VCU in NCAA Tournament... the top-seeded Wake Forest men's soccer team will play host to VCU in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 27, at 7:00 p.m. The match will be the second played between the two squads this season. The two met back on Sept. 10, with the Demon Deacons picking up a 1-0 victory in double overtime on a goal from senior Scott Sealy.
The Rams advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season with a 2-0 victory over George Washington in tourney action from Richmond, Va. this past Tuesday night. VCU got goals from Gonzalo Segares and Ricardo Opoku in the victory. Saul Montero had five saves in the shutout victory.
News & Notes... Wake Forest is 4-8-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and the same mark at Spry Stadium... The Demon Deacons are 3-0-1 all-time against VCU, including 2-0-1 in Winston-Salem and 1-0-0 in NCAA Tournament action... Three of the four matches between the two schools have each been decided by one goal and the other match ended in a tie... Wake Forest slipped past the Rams, 2-1, on Nov. 21, 1999 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament... Despite students home for Thanksgiving and poor weather, the Demon Deacons still managed to draw 1,619 fans in their second round match with UCF (fifth most of the 16 second round matches)... The Deacs are currently averaging 1,870 fans per home match... Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brian Edwards has played every minute in goal for the Demon Deacons this season. The streak currently sits at 1,858:31 minutes over 20 matches. The single-season school record is 2,190 minutes between the pipes by Matthew Olson in 1990. Edwards is also one shutout shy of setting a new single-season record with 10 shutouts.
A Win This Evening Would... improve the Demon Deacons to 15-5-1 overall... move the Deacs into quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history... improve the Demon Deacons to 4-0-1 all-time against VCU and 2-0 against the Rams in NCAA Tournament action... be the fourth consecutive victory over VCU in the all-time series... be the 58th victory in the career of this Demon Deacon senior class (most by any class in school history)... give the Demon Deacons a record of 5-8-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament action... even the Deacs at 4-4-0 in the NCAA Tournament in the Vidovich era... give Wake Forest a record of 1-1-0 all-time in the third round of the NCAA Tournament... give Wake Forest 15 or more victories for the third consecutive season... improve the Demon Deacons to 6-3-0 at Spry Stadium this season... improve Wake Forest to 5-8-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament at Spry Stadium... make the Deacs 64-19-7 (.750) all-time at Spry Stadium... improve Wake Forest to 35-7-1 (.826) at home over the past four years... give 11th-year head coach Jay Vidovich his 135th career victory.
A Loss This Evening Would... eliminate the Demon Deacons in the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the past three years (both times the Deacs were the tournament's top seed)... drop Wake Forest to 14-6-1 overall... drop the Deacs to 3-1-1 all-time against VCU and 1-1-0 against the Rams in NCAA Tournament action... snap Wake Forest's three match winning streak over VCU... deny the Deacs a 15th victory which could give WFU three straight 15+ win seasons... give the Demon Deacons a record of 4-9-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament... make the Deacs 3-5-0 in the NCAA Tournament in the Vidovich era... give Wake Forest a 0-2-0 all-time record in the third round of the NCAA Tournament... drop the Demon Deacons to 5-4-0 at Spry Stadium this season... be the most losses at Spry Stadium since the Deacs dropped five matches at home in 1997... drop Wake Forest to 4-9-0 all-time in the NCAA Tournament at Spry Stadium... make the Demon Deacons 63-20-7 (.739) all-time at Spry Stadium... drop Wake Forest to 34-8-1 (.802) at home over the past four years.
Scouting the Rams... VCU is ranked among the top-25 in each of the four polls. The Rams are rated as high as 15th in College Soccer News. VCU earned the tournament's 16th seed and received a bye into the second round after being an at-large selection to this year's championship. The Rams are 12-5-2 overall this season. VCU captured the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title with a 7-1-1 conference mark. It is the third consecutive CAA regular season title for the Rams. VCU has a conference
record of 22-3-2 over the past three seasons, a winning percentage of .852. Dominic Oduro leads the squad with 13 goals and 27 points, while Brian Morris ranks second on the team with six goals and 16 total points. Saul Montero has started 19 games in goal and owns a 0.83 goals-against average with six shutouts.
Demon Deacons Against The NCAA Tournament Field... Wake Forest has faced 13 teams that were selected to the 48-team NCAA Tournament when you include the second round match against UCF. The Demon Deacons are 8-5-1 in those 14 matches against the field with two matches against Virginia. The Deacs have played five teams that are seeded among the top 16. Here is a look at Wake Forest against the field:
Sept. 3 at Ohio State W, 2-0
Sept. 5 vs Penn State (2ot) T, 2-2*
Sept. 10 vs VCU (2ot) W, 1-0*
Sept. 12 vs FIU (ot) W, 3-2
Sept. 17 Virginia L, 2-1*
Sept. 21 UNC Greensboro L, 2-1*
Sept. 24 South Carolina L, 1-0
Oct. 2 Maryland W, 4-2*
Oct. 12 at Coastal Carolina W, 2-1
Oct. 15 Loyola Marymount W, 3-1
Oct. 31 at North Carolina W, 2-0
Nov. 6 at Duke L, 2-3
Nov. 12 Virginia L, 1-2*
Nov. 23 UCF W, 5-0
*- seeded among the top 16
Deacons Enter Tournament as Top-Seed... capturing the 2004 ACC Regular Season title and recording 13 victories over arguably the toughest schedule in the entire country (13 of 19 matches against NCAA Tournament qualifiers), Wake Forest comes to the 2004 NCAA Tournament as the top-seed. It is the second time in three years that the Deacs have been the tournament's top-seed.
Riley Back... senior defender James Riley missed Tuesday night's second round match with UCF because of a red-card suspension, but will be in the starting lineup Saturday night. Riley picked up a pair of yellow cards in the ACC semifinal loss to Virginia.
Last Time Out... Wake Forest senior All-American candidate Scott Sealy netted his second career hat trick and added two assists to lead the top-seeded Demon Deacons past UCF, 5-0, in NCAA Tournament second round action.
Sealy, the 2004 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, gave the Deacs a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute. After Wake Forest seemed to measure up the Golden Knights over the first 25 minutes, the Demon Deacons then began to pound the UCF net. Sealy scored his team-high 15th goal of the season off assists from Patrick Phelan and Justin Moose.
Sealy would go onto add his 16th and 17th goals in the 38th and 57th minute, respectively. The hat trick is Sealy's second of his career. The Petit Valley, Trinidad native registered a hat trick last season against Gardner Webb. Sealy also registered a pair of assists, giving him eight points for the match. The eight points are the most for any one player in a match since Mark Erwin set the school record of 14 (seven goals) against St. Andrews on Sept. 16, 1983.
With 17 goals this season, Sealy has now tallied 43 for his career -- second best on the Wake Forest all-time chart. The 17 tallies are also tied with Erwin for second most ever in a single-season.
Senior Stephen Keel and junior Justin Moose added the other goals for the Demon Deacons. Senior Ryan Caugherty, senior Tomy Szczypiorski and Keel all added assists. In all, Wake Forest dominated every facet of the match. The Deacs outshot UCF, 28-4, and held an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Last Meeting With VCU... Wake Forest senior Scott Sealy scored four minutes into the second overtime to give the Demon Deacons a hard fought, but thrilling 1-0 victory on Sept. 10 at the Carolina/Nike Classic.
The Demon Deacons earned a throw-in deep inside the VCU defending third. Sophomore Mark Ellington threw the ball to senior Ryan Caugherty, who settled and laid the ball off the senior Tomy Szczypiorski. Szczypiorski then fired a cross to Sealy who rose and headed home the gamewinner at the 104:00 minute mark.
The goal was Sealy's third of the season and 29th for his career. He moved into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time goal scoring list.
While most of the game was played in the midfield, both teams did create some solid scoring chances late in regulation and overtime.
Wake Forest had a golden opportunity with only 3:46 left in regulation. Ellington was fouled just inside the penalty area. Senior Stephen Keel took the ensuing penalty kick, but drilled the left post.
The Demon Deacons nearly scored with just over a minute left in regular time. Ellington made a great effort to send the ball to Sealy. The forward chased down the ball beat the lone VCU defender, but his blast from just outside the box glanced off the cross bar.
The Rams broke through just minutes into overtime. Dominic Oduro streaked through the Demon Deacon defense and went one-on-one with Wake Forest goalkeeper Brian Edwards, but Edwards stoned the VCU forward to keep the match scoreless.
Edwards went the distance in the net for Wake Forest and registered his second career shutout in only his third career start. The sophomore picked up five saves on the evening.
Parkhurst, ACC Defensive Player of the Year... the junior Hermann Trophy nominee leads a defense that ranks third in the conference in goals allowed (17) and fourth in shutouts with seven through the end of the regular season. The junior defender played a key role for Wake Forest down the stretch as the Demon Deacons finished the season with victories in nine of their last ten matches, including a string of four consecutive shutouts during a nine-match winning streak that helped claim the ACC Regular Season Title. Parkhurst, who has started 59 consecutive matches for the Deacs, earned first team All-ACC in 2003 and second team in 2002.
Sealy, ACC Offensive Player of the Year... the senior All-American candidate is the leading goal scorer for the Demon Deacons. Sealy has netted 14 goals in 2004 including a league-high six game winning goals. The senior forward is also the team leader in points with 36 (14 goals, 8 assists) and shots with 63, while ranking second in the ACC in points, goals scored and shots. He also moved into sole possession of second place on the Wake Forest all-time goals and points list earlier this season. With former All-American Jeremiah White earning Player of the Year honors last season, Sealy makes it two consecutive year that a Demon Deacon forward has capture the award. Sealy was awarded second team All-ACC last season.
Deacons Dot the All-ACC Teams... six Deacons were recognized on the All-ACC first, second and freshman teams. Senior forward Scott Sealy was joined on the first team by junior defender Michael Parkhurst. It was Parkhurst's third straight appearance, the second season on the first team. Sealy makes his first showing on the first team after being listed as a second teamer in 2003. Junior forward Justin Moose made the second team for the third straight year. Senior midfielder Amir Lowery earned second team for the second consecutive season. Julian Valentin and Patrick Phelan made the ACC All-Freshman team.
Patrick Phelan Participates With U-20 National Team... the freshman was among 22 players to participate in the U-20 National team training last week in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The training camp was the first under new head man Sigi Schmid and the first of many as Schmid begins to sort through the U-20 player pool to mold his squad for the U-20 CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament on January 12-16, 2005.
Phelan was among eight college players to participate in the training camp. Included in the list of college players were: Will John (Saint Louis), Nathan Sturgis (Clemson), Hunter Freeman (Virginia), Greg Dalby (Notre Dame), Brandon Owens (UCLA), Marvell Wynne (UCLA) and Jacob Peterson (Indiana).
The training camp roster also included seven professional players. Leading the way on the roster were five MLS players, including Freddy Adu (D.C. United), Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes), Danny Szetela (Columbus Crew), Michael Bradley (MetroStars) and Guillermo Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy).
The final two professional players are goalkeeper Quentin Westberg, who plays for ESTAC Troyes in the second division in France, and Jay Denny of Stoke City in the English first division.
Phelan started in the back in their 4-3-2-1 formation against Honduras as the U.S. was victorious, 2-0. He was held out of the Mexico match as a precaution to remain healthy for the Demon Deacons second round match against UCF. The United States defeated Mexico in the final match of the training camp, 2-1.
Lowery, Parkhurst Never MIA... Senior midfielder Amir Lowery and junior central defender Michael Parkhurst have been mainstays in the Deacon lineup. In fact, Lowery and Parkhurst have started every single match over the past three seasons -- streaks that will reach 61 straight matches Saturday night.
Poll Position... Wake Forest is ranked 10th this week by the NSCAA and Soccer Times. The Demon Deacons have now spent 52 straight weeks in the top 25. Eight of the Demon Deacons' foes are in the top 25 this week including UNCG, Maryland, Virginia, Penn State, Ohio State, VCU, Duke and Florida International.
Sealy Takes Over Second Place... with his goal and assist against Virginia Tech on Oct. 26, senior forward Scott Sealy moved past former All-American Jeremiah White for second place on the all-time goal list. Sealy also surpassed both Ben Stafford and White for second place in career points (94). After scoring three goals in the second round victory over UCF, Sealy moved into a tie for second place on the single-season goal list with 17 (tying Mark Erwin's total from 1981).
Another ACC Regular Season Title... despite the loss to close the regular season, the Demon Deacons still earned the 2004 ACC Regular Season Championship due in part to Maryland's 1-0 victory over Virginia in other ACC action. The ACC Regular Season Title is the second in the past three years.
Quite an Outbreak... entering the regular season finale at Duke, Wake Forest had not allowed more than one goal in their last eight matches. In fact, the Demon Deacons had allowed one goal or fewer in every match this season except two. The three goals for Duke were not only the most this season, but were the most goals surrendered by the Deacs since American tallied three goals on Nov. 25 of 2001.
The Streak Is Over... early in October, the Demon Deacons put together a streak of 236:52 scoreless minutes. Edwards recorded four straight shutouts and went 499:34 second before allowing a second half penalty kick in Tuesday night's victory over Davidson.
Five ACC Victories, A First... with the 2-0 victory over North Carolina this past Sunday, Wake Forest reached the five victory plateau in league play for the first time in school history. Wake Forest came quite close in 1989, 2002 and 2003.
Solle Not Selfish... sophomore Ryan Solle played in just 10 matches last season and picked up just a single point. The midfielder returned this season and has been key to the Demon Deacons success. Solle is second on the team in assists with nine. He could become the fourth player in school history to ever reach 10+ assists in a single-season.
Road Warriors... the Deacons finished the 2004 regular season at 6-1 on the road and 8-1-1 away from Spry Stadium. Wake Forest has only completed one season without a single road loss -- 2002 when the Deacs finished the entire regular season unbeaten.
Reverse The Curse... entering the match with North Carolina on Oct. 31, Wake Forest had gone nine matches with the Tar Heels at Fetzer Field without a victory -- a streak dating back to the 1982 season. The Deacs used a pair of second half goals to record their first victory at Fetzer Field against North Carolina in 22 years.
Model Of Consistency... with the 2-0 shutout victory over Virginia Tech on Oct. 26, Wake Forest registered its 10th win of the season. It marked the 11th consecutive season that the Deacons reached double digits in wins -- all under current head coach Jay Vidovich.
Brutal Finish... the Deacons closed the regular season with four consecutive matches on the road, three of which in the ACC. Wake Forest traveled to Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Davidson and Duke. The four-match road swing was the first road trip of at least four matches since the 1992 season.
Firing Squad... the Deacs racked up a season-high 29 shots in the 2-0 shutout of Elon on Oct. 19. It was the most shots in a single-game since WFU had 30 against Gardner-Webb on Oct. 22 of last season.
Quick Strike Deacs... on three separate occasions this season, the Demon Deacons have scored a pair of goals in a span of five minutes. In fact, Wake Forest has turned the task in each of the past two games. The Deacs scored in the 12th and 15th minutes against Coastal Carolina, then followed with tallies in the 74th and 76th minutes against Loyola Marymount.
Thompson Finds Net For First Time... sophomore midfielder Wells Thompson scored his first career goal in the victory over Loyola Marymount on Oct. 15. Thompson's goal came in his 23rd career game for the Demon Deacons.
Victory Over Loyola Marymount More Impressive... as impressive as the 3-1 victory over the Lions was, it became that much more impressive later that weekend. Loyola Marymount faced second-ranked Santa Clara the following Sunday and blanked the Broncos, 4-0.
Deacs Definitely Creating Scoring Chances... Wake Forest has outshot its last nine opponents dating back to the Florida International match on Sept. 12. In fact, Penn State is the only opponent this season to hold the advantage in shots over the Deacs (Sept. 5).
Overtime, Every Time... the Demon Deacons went into overtime in three consecutive matches earlier this season, then registered its fourth overtime match of the season on Oct. 10 at NC State. The Deacs are 3-0-1 in those four matches. Wake Forest did not even have a overtime match the entire 2003 season. The record for most consecutive overtime matches was six set during the 1990 season.
Edwards Lone Freshman Between The Pipes... redshirt freshman Brian Edwards is the only rookie starting goalkeeper in the entire ACC. In fact, Edwards is one of three keepers in the ACC to play every minute between the pipes for their respective team.
Moose Nets Gamewinnner... Junior Justin Moose has scored three goals this season. Two of those goals have come in overtime, giving Wake Forest victories. Moose recorded his first golden goal against FIU back on Sept. 12, then he did the same on Oct. 10 against NC State.
Victory at Method Road No Small Task... the Wake Forest win on Oct. 10 against the Wolfpack at Method Road was the first loss for NC State at Method Road in 14 games, a streak that dated back to the 2002 season.
Avoided Four Straight... Wake Forest avoided its first four match losing skid since the 1986 season when they knocked off Maryland, 4-2, on Oct. 2. In 1986, the Deacs managed to lose a school record five consecutive matches. Wake Forest also registered five-match losing streaks in 1983 and 1985.
Perfect Set Pieces... Wake Forest snapped out of its scoring drought with four goals against 11th-ranked Maryland on Oct. 2. The Deacons tallied two goals each half, but three of the scores came directly off set pieces. Steven Curfman was involved in all three goals. Amir Lowery earned Wake Forest a penalty kick off a Curfman corner kick, while Curfman recorded a pair of assists off two in-direct free-kicks.
Scraping Off The Rust... once the match with Virginia Tech was postponed due to inclement weather from Hurricane Jeanne, the Demon Deacons played exactly one match (Oct. 2 against Maryland) in a span of 15 days.
Not So Friendly Confines... the loss to South Carolina on Sept. 24 not only snapped Wake Forest's two-match winning streak over the Gamecocks, but it also gave the Deacs their first three-match losing streak since 1997. The game also marked the third straight loss at Spry Stadium -- the first three-match losing streak at home since the 1986 season. The school record is four consecutive losses at home, which was set during the 1985 season.
Inside The Three Match Losing Skid... if you looked deeper at the three-match losing streak earlier this season for the Deacs you would be surprised with the statistics. Wake Forest outshot Virginia, UNCG and South Carolina by a combined 44-22 and registered 31 corner kicks to their three. The opposing goalkeepers were forced to make 15 saves, while Brian Edwards recorded six. Despite controlling all three matches, Wake Forest did not walk away with a victory in any of them. The Deacs were hurt by second-half goals, four in all, in each of the matches.
UNCG's Win at Spry Quite Rare... the victory for the Spartans over Wake Forest on Sept. 17 snapped the Demon Deacons five-match winning streak -- a span dating back to the 1989 season. The loss also means Wake Forest has now dropped consecutive matches at Spry Stadium for the first time since the 1997 season. Wake Forest lost back-to-back games on Oct. 15 and Oct. 19 of that season against Duke and Davidson.
Wake Forest Still Dominant Against Nonconference Foes at Spry... Wake Forest has captured 38 of its last 43 matches at Spry Stadium against non-conference opponents. The Deacs are 38-3-2 in those outings since the 1998 season. Before Sept. 17 against UNCG, Dartmouth was the last non-conference foe to defeat the Demon Deacons at Spry Stadium -- back on Sept. 8, 2001.
Virginia Ends Couple Of Streaks... the Cavaliers have now beaten Wake Forest five consecutive times and the Cavaliers snapped the Deacons 13-match regular season home winning streak. Wake Forest also saw an end to its regular season unbeaten streak of 29 games at Spry Stadium. The Demon Deacons last regular season home loss came on September 8, 2001 against Dartmouth.
Deacs Struggle In ACC Openers... the Demon Deacons have struggled in their ACC opener throughout the program's history. Wake Forest has posted a 3-19-3 all-time record in their ACC opener. Most of the struggles have resulted from the fact that the Deacs have played Virginia 18 times in 25 ACC openers. Wake Forest is 1-15-2 all-time against the Cavaliers in the first ACC match of the season.
Deacs Capture Carolina/Nike Classic... Wake Forest picked up a pair of overtime victories the weekend of Sept. 10-12 to capture their second tournament title of the 2004 season. The Deacs knocked off VCU, 1-0, then rallied past FIU, 3-2. UNC dropped both of their matches against the Rams and Golden Panthers.
Parkhurst Picks Up First Career Point... junior Michael Parkhurst picked up his first career point in the 3-2 overtime victory over FIU at the Carolina/Nike Classic. Parkhurst, a Hermann Award Candidate, has started every match for the Demon Deacons over the past three years, but did not record a point until Sept. 12.
Deacs Capture Ohio State Classic Title... Wake Forest shutout the host Buckeyes, 2-0, on Friday night then tied #14 Penn State, 2-2, Sunday. The Demon Deacons earned the title on goal differential.
Four Earn All-Tournament Status... after capturing the Ohio State Classic Championship, the Demon Deacons were awarded with four players to the All-Tournament team. Senior Scott Sealy, junior Michael Parkhurst, junior Justin Moose and sophomore Ryan Solle were all selected.
Card Crazy Weekend... the Demon Deacons were issued six yellow cards and two red cards at The Ohio State Classic. Wake Forest was issued only 22 yellow cards all of 2003 and 24 in 2002. In fact, the two red cards were the first for any Demon Deacon player since Aaron Thomas was ejected in the NCAA Tournament lost to American on Nov. 25, 2001.
Edwards Registers Shutout in First Career Start... sophomore Brian Edwards picked up a shutout in his first career start in the 2-0 victory in Wake's season-opening victory over Ohio State. He recorded eight saves.
Deacons Among Nation's Leaders in Attendance... last year, Wake Forest enjoyed a great home field advantage in front of enormous crowds at Spry Stadium. The Deacons drew crowds of 3,000 or more for five of their 11 games. That allowed Wake Forest to rank third nationally, first in the ACC, with an average of 2,146 fans for the third time in four years.
Sealy Pretty Busy This Summer... while many players were playing with their respective club teams, senior Scott Sealy spent the entire summer playing with the Trinidad & Tobago National Team as they attempt to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
Trinidad is in a group with Mexico, St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Vincent / Grenadines. They already defeated St. Vincent / Grenadines, 2-0. Trinidad returns to action on Sept. 4 against St. Kitts & Nevis.
Sealy came off the bench to score one goal in the 4-0 trouncing of the Dominican Republic back on June 20. He then started in the 2-0 victory over St. Vincent / Grenadines.
Sealy is with the Demon Deacons this weekend, but his status for is still up in the air from time to time throughout the season.
Moose Named PDL All-League and Rookie of the Year... junior midfielder Justin Moose was named by the United Soccer Leagues PDL All-Eastern Conference and Rookie of the Year for the 2004 season.
Moose, a native of Statesville, N.C., scored seven goals and added three assists in 13 games for the Carolina Dynamo. Moose led the Dynamo to the Mid-Atlantic Division Title with an 11-6-1 record. Moose recorded an assist in the PDL semifinal 1-1 draw against Central Florida. The Dynamo lost the match in penalty kicks and the Kraze went on to capture the 2004 PDL Championship.
Parkhurst Named To MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List... junior defender Michael Parkhurst was among the 25 nominees on the 2004 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. Parkhurst was a second team All-American and first team All-ACC selection in 2003.
The 25 players are considered to be among the top players entering the 2004 college season and are the ones to watch for outstanding play this fall. A list of 15 semifinalists will be announced in November, with three finalists selected in early December. The winner will be announced at a dinner at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo., on Jan. 8, 2005.
Recruiting Class Ranked Among Nation's Best... The Demon Deacons' freshman class of Cooper Bryant (will enroll for second semester), Alimer Gonzalez, Patrick Phelan, Marcus Rein, Julian Valentin and Ryan Swaim received some serious honors. Not only was the class ranked second by Soccer America, but Wake Forest was the only team in the country to have three players listed among the top 25 recruits (Phelan, Rein, Valentin).
Deacons Picked Third In ACC Preseason Poll... Wake Forest was selected to finish third in the ACC preseason coaches poll. North Carolina and Virginia earned the spots above the Deacons.
Wake Forest tallied 45 total points, while the Tar Heels earned 57 points and Virginia accumulated 51. The Demon Deacons, who finished the 2003 season with a record of 15-5-0, 4-2-0 in conference play, return eight starters and 16 letterwinners from last year's team.
School Points 2003 Record
1. North Carolina (4) 57 12-4-4 (2-3-1)
2. Virginia (1) 51 11-10-2 (3-3-0)
3. Wake Forest 45 15-5-0 (4-2-0)
4. Maryland (1) 40 20-3-1 (5-1-0)
5. Clemson (1) 31 9-7-4 (2-4-0)
6. Duke 25 8-10-1 (2-4-0)
7. Virginia Tech (1) 21 14-5-3 (7-3-0)
8. NC State 18 9-9-2 (2-3-1)
* denotes Big East conference record in 2003
