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Sept. 27, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -

The Wake Forest field hockey team, ranked fourth in this week's poll, will host two nationally-ranked teams at Kentner Stadium this weekend. On Saturday, Wake Forest will take on top-ranked and undefeated Atlantic Coast Conference foe North Carolina at 1 p.m. before facing the fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Sunday at noon.

It is the first time this season that Wake Forest will host a ranked opponent. The Demon Deacons last hosted a top-ranked team during the regular season on Sept. 23, 2006 when No. 1 Maryland sneaked by with a 3-2 victory.

The Wake Forest-North Carolina game will be featured on ACC Select.

Maria Whitehead's Jersey Number to be Honored
Wake Forest will honor the jersey number of Maria Whitehead. Her No. 5 will be recognized in a ceremony prior to the Wake Forest-UNC game on Sat., Sept. 29. Whitehead, a standout player from 1998-2002, passed away last November of cancer. In her time at Wake Forest, she earned NFHCA All-Region status in 2000 and was twice recognized as an All-ACC player. Maria was an instrumental part of the Deacs' first national championship and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.

Arrive Early Saturday to Support Your Deacs, Win Prizes
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the ACC match-up between the Deacs and visiting Tar Heels. Giveaways will start at noon and the first 100 fans will receive a free small pizza courtesy of Papa John's, while the first 500 fans will receive a free Wake Forest t-shirt. There will also be a sign contest in which the best Wake Forest sign will win a gift certificate to River Birch Lodge and a post-game autograph session with the team.

Other prizes and contests will take place on Sunday's game between Wake and Michigan State.

Last Time Out...
Wake Forest faced defending National Champion Maryland in a title rematch last Saturday in College Park. Second-ranked Maryland edged the Deacs, 3-2, in front of an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) attendance record of 1,734. The Terps were on the board first, but Aileen Davis knotted the score at 1-1 a few minutes later. Maryland led 2-1 at the half, but Michelle Kasold tied the game at 2-all midway through the second period. After a timeout, Maryland came out strong and scored the go-ahead goal and was able to hold on to the lead to remain undefeated at 9-0.

About North Carolina
Top-ranked North Carolina remains undefeated with an 11-0 record and captured its sixth straight shutout on Tuesday with an 8-0 victory over Davidson. Senior Jesse Gey leads the Tar Heels with 30 points (9 goals and 12 assists), while senior Rachel Dawson adds 11 goals on the season.

Series Vs. UNC
North Carolina leads the all-time series 28-15-3, which first began in 1972. The Tar Heels snapped the Deacs' five-game win streak against UNC earlier this season when it defeated Wake 2-1 in overtime.

About Michigan State
No. 5 Michigan State is coming off of a 3-2 upset loss at the hands of Central Michigan. It was only the second loss of the season for the Spartans, who hold a 9-2 record heading into this weekend's action. Michigan State will face Davidson on Friday before arriving in Winston-Salem.

Series Vs. MSU
Wake Forest leads the all-time series 6-1 against the Spartans. Last year, Wake took the 3-0 victory in East Lansing. Michigan State's only win came in 2001 when it recorded a 2-0 victory at home.