Sept. 28, 1999

DEMON DEACON FACTS
1999 Record: 7-1, 3-0 ACC
National Ranking: #11 (NSCAA)
Head Coach: Tony da Luz
Record at WF: 31-16-3 (3rd yr)
Career Record: 77-58-6 (8th yr)
Assistant: Kelly Walbert

DEMON DEACONS VISIT DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION FLORIDA
Riding a three-match Atlantic Coast Conference winning streak, the Wake Forest women's soccer team returns to the road this weekend when the Demon Deacons visit defending national champion Florida on Friday at 7 p.m. in Gainesville.

The Demon Deacons are ranked 10th nationally this week by Soccer America, the highest ranking in the program's six-year history. Wake Forest is now 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the ACC after picking a 3-1 win at NC State last weekend. The Demon Deacons are currently in first place in the ACC standings, just ahead of both North Carolina and Virginia who each have 2-0 league records.

The Deacs are under the guidance of head coach Tony da Luz, the 1998 ACC Coach of the Year.

DEMON DEACONS CONTINUE IMPRESSIVE RUN IN THE ACC
After winning just four ACC matches in the program's first four years of existence, Wake Forest took a major stride forward last fall when the Demon Deacons posted a 4-3 league record and finished in 4th place in the regular season.

The Deacs have carried that momentum into 1999 by opening the ACC season with three victories (over Clemson, Florida State and NC State). The 3-0 start to the ACC season is obviously the best in school history.

Now spanning the last two seasons, Wake Forest owns an impressive 7-3 (.700) record against the ACC as opposed to the 4-23 (.148) mark posted in the program's first four years.

ACC STANDINGS (as of 9/27)

   Team          ACC    OVERALL
1. Wake Forest   3-0-0   7-1-0
2. N. Carolina   2-0-0   7-2-0
2. Virginia      2-0-0   6-2-0
4. Maryland      1-0-1   3-5-1
5. Clemson       1-2-0   6-3-1
6. NC State      0-2-1   3-4-1
7. Duke          0-2-0   5-5-0
8. Florida St.   0-3-0   4-5-0

INSIDE THE ACC STATISTICS
The Demon Deacons have several players listed among the ACC's statistical leaders. Senior Anne Shropshire is ranked fifth in the league standings with 11 points and sixth with 3 goals. Freshman Lindsey Griffin is tied for fourth with 4 assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Erin Regan is 1st in save percentage (.907), 1st in GAA (0.57) and 4th in shutouts. Regan also ranks 19th nationally with her 0.57 GAA.

As a team, Wake Forest is ranked 1st in scoring defense (0.63) and 3rd in scoring offense (2.38) within the ACC. The Demon Deacons are ranked 11th nationally in scoring defense.

IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
The Wake Forest women's soccer team is well represented in this week's national polls. The Demon Deacons are ranked 11th in the NSCAA coaches' poll, 10th by Soccer America, 13th by Soccer Buzz magazine, and 13th by Soccer Times - a poll voted on by a panel of 16 coaches across the nation. The 10th place ranking by Soccer America represents the highest ranking for the Demon Deacons in school history.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

Week Of   NSCAA  SA   SB   ST
Preseason   23   -     -   25
Aug. 30     23   -    25   25
Sept. 6     25   -    24   21
Sept. 13     -   -    22   21
Sept. 20    16   12   16   14
Sept. 27    11   10   13   13

Key: NSCAA-National Soccer Coaches Association of America,
SA-Soccer America. SB-Soccer Buzz, ST-Soccer Times.

TAGGART WINS THE GOLD
Sophomore midfielder Emily Taggart spent her summer helping the United States capture a gold medal in international competition. While the U.S. National team was busy capturing the World Cup, Taggart was a member of the U-18 national team that competed in the Pan-Am Games in July and August and won the gold medal.

SHROPSHIRE CONTINUES ASSAULT ON RECORD BOOK
Senior forward Anne Shropshire rewrote the Wake Forest record book last season as she set new single season records for goals, assists and points while also breaking the career marks in each of those categories, too.

She picked up in the first game of 1999 where she left off in 1998 by netting two goals and two assists to add to her school record career totals. Through the first eight games of the season, Shropshire now has 25 goals, 26 assists and 76 points in her WFU career, all school records.

FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE
Eight games into the 1999 season, the talented Wake Forest freshman class has already asserted itself as a key ingredient during the upcoming season. Five different freshmen have cracked the starting lineup this season, while combining to tally five goals and nine assists.

Forward Joline Charlton made the biggest impact of the rookie class as she has scored three goals and has three assists in the first eight games of the season. Also making the starting 11 this season are defender Liz McDowell, who score the game-winner at Air Force with under five minutes remaining in regulation, midfielder Lindsey Griffin, a playmaker who has four assists in seven games, midfielder Katie Johnson, with one goal, and defender Gabi Lieb, with one assist.

ROECK ANCHORS THE DEFENSE
With last year's sweeper Jessen Snyder lost to graduation, head coach Tony da Luz has turned to sophomore Stacy Roeck as the Deacs' new anchor in the backfield.

Last fall Roeck started 20 of 21 games in the backfield, scoring seven goals and adding one assist. She was moved to the sweeper position for the 1999 season fall and immediately made her presence felt as she has helped the Deacs' hold opponents to a stingy 0.63 goals per game (5 goals in 8 games). The Demon Deacons rank first in the ACC and 11th nationally in scoring defense. Although her name may not show up among the team's statistical leaders this season, Roeck may well be the most valuable player on the squad.