November 3, 1998

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's soccer team, ranked 16th in the country this week by Soccer News, will face Maryland in the first round of the 1998 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

The Deacs are seeded fourth in the tournament after wrapping up the regular season with a 4-3 league record while the Terrapins are the #5 seed after posting a 3-4 league mark. The game will be on Thursday, November 5th at 8 p.m. in the final quarterfinal matchup of the day. Other quarterfinal games are #1 North Carolina vs. #8 Duke (1 p.m.), #2 Virginia vs. #7 Florida State (3 p.m.) and #3 Clemson vs. #6 NC State (6 p.m.).

Wake Forest has won seven of its last nine matches, which has vaulted the Demon Deacons into the national top 25.

SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
The Wake Forest women's soccer program, now in only its fifth season of competition at the varsity level, has already made a name for itself on the national level. The Demon Deacons have been ranked among the nation's top 20 teams and have earned invitations to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons. Head coach Tony da Luz has a squad comprised of a number of key veterans plus a talented freshman class which he hopes will guide the Deacs to their third consecutive NCAA berth this fall.

The Wake Forest offense is led by junior Anne Shropshire, who recently moved to a forward position after seeing most of her action at midfield. Shropshire leads the squad in goals (10), assists (10) and points (30) and has set school career records in each of those three categories during the course of the season as well.

A duo of seniors in forward Stefanie Mathews and midfielder Meghan Suddes also anchor the offensive attack. Suddes is second on the team with six goals while Mathews is responsible for four goals and nine assists. Freshmen midfielders Emily Taggart, who netted her first career hat trick earlier this season against NC State, and Sarah Kate Noftsinger have entrenched themselves into the starting lineup with solid play all season while sophomore Christie Melby rounds out the midfield starting attack.

The Wake Forest defense is anchored by senior Jessen Snyder, who owns a school-record 81 career starts, and freshman Stacy Roeck, who has scored six goals this season. In goal, the Deacs will turn to either freshman Erin Regan, 1.78 GAA in 1998, or senior Sari Rose, who recorded shutouts vs. Charleston, Davidson and LSU, to provide steady play as the starter from 1997, Beth Klein, works to recover from a knee injury suffered last fall.

MARYLAND GAME RECAP
Wake Forest defeated Maryland, 3-2, in overtime earlier this year in Winston-Salem in one of the most entertaining matches of the 1998 season. The Terps still lead the all time series with the Deacs, 4-1.

Maryland took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Robin McCullough booted in a long shot from 25 yards out. However, Wake Forest senior Andrea Pelletier scored two goals in under two minutes (60:20 and 62:09) to give the Deacs a 2-1 lead. The Terps tied the score just before regulation as Emily Janss scored in the game's 83rd minute after a free kick.

Both teams had a number of opportunities to win the game in overtime. Janss was awarded a penalty kick in the 97th minute but Wake Forest keeper Sari Rose made a fantastic save to keep the Deacons' chances alive, while a Stefanie Mathews shot hit the crossbar in the 110th minute for the Deacs.

The game appeared to be heading for a draw before Anne Shropshire netted the "Golden Goal" with just 3:54 left in overtime after a Wake Forest ambush on Maryland keeper Riki-Ann Serrins. Serrins staved off shots from Mathews and Rachel Thomas before Shropshire knocked the rebound into the back of the net from 10 yards out. Wake Forest outshot Maryland 31-16 in the contest.

ACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Wake Forest will be making its fifth appearance in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in 1998. The Deacons own an all-time tournament record of 1-3-1 in four previous appearances.

The Demon Deacons were eliminated in the first round by North Carolina in 1994, the first year of the program, by a score of 9-0 while Wake Forest dropped its quarterfinal matchup with NC State in 1995 by a score of 3-1.

The Deacs recorded their first ACC Tournament win in the 1996 quarterfinals when they defeated Duke, 3-2. Among current players, Norine Fernbach scored the game's first goal while Karli Schilling and Anne Shropshire tallied assists in the contest. Wake Forest lost to Clemson in the semifinals, 2-1, while Shopshire and Rachel Thomas were credited with assists in the game. Schilling and Shropshire became the first two players from Wake Forest to be named to the All-Tournament team.

Wake Forest and Duke played to a 2-2 tie in last year's ACC Tournament quarterfinal in Winston-Salem. Trailing 1-0 late in the game, Christie Melby scored the game-tying goal with just seven minutes left in regulation. Schilling gave the Deacs a 2-1 lead in the non-sudden death overtime, but Duke rallied to tie the score and force the game to penalty kicks. Although the game was officially declared a draw, Duke advanced to the semifinals via PK's, 4-3.

SHROPSHIRE CONTINUES ASSAULT ON RECORD BOOK
Junior forward Anne Shropshire continues to add her name to the Wake Forest record book this season. Most recently, Shropshire set a new career mark for goals scored against LSU and now owns 20 goals in her career. The previous mark was held by teammate Julie Scott, who owns 16 career goals (and one this season).

Earlier this season at the Irish Key Bank Classic, the Lexington, Kty., product moved into first place on Wake Forest's career scoring list. She now owns 30 points this season and 63 career points. The previous record holder was Cheryl Zimmermann who totaled 43 points in four years from 1994-97, while Shropshire accomplished the feat during her third season.

Shropshire set yet another career mark earlier this season with her two-assist performance at Davidson. Now with 10 assists this year, Shropshire has raised her career total to 23 and moved into first place on Wake Forest's career list in that category as well. The previous record holder was Zimmermann who tallied 15 assists in her career. Shropshire, who led the Deacons in assists last fall as well, has set a new school record for assists in a single season (10).

PELLETIER RETURNS WITH A VENGEANCE
Senior Andrea Pelletier, who suffered a broken wrist in the final minutes of the Missouri game on Sept. 25, made her first appearance in a month against Maryland on Oct. 25. Although she played just 21:14 in the 116 minute contest, Pelletier certainly made her presence felt by turning a 1-0 Wake Forest deficit into a 2-1 lead with a pair of goals in just under two minutes.

Pelletier may have had some extra motivation to return with a bang, as it was written here initially after her injury that she "may be lost for the season." Upon reading those words, she promised to return to the lineup this season and make a positive impact.

DEACS EARN AWARDS AT ACC-SEC CHALLENGE
Four Demon Deacons were named to the all-tournament team at the ACC-SEC Challenge after Wake Forest posted a perfect 2-0 record. Anne Shropshire, Stacy Roeck, Stefanie Mathews and Jessen Snyder all earned the honor with their outstanding play. Shropshire led the squad with three goals and one assist in two games, while Roeck netted the game-winning goal in both contests. Mathews tallied two assists on the weekend and Snyder was the anchor of a Wake Forest defense that surrendered just two goals and limited opponents to seven shots in two games. For her efforts, Shropshire was also tabbed as the ACC's Player of the Week.

DEACS FIND HIGH-OUTPUT OFFENSE IN OCTOBER
A new look in the lineup from head coach Tony da Luz at the beginning of October in the ACC-SEC Challenge brought instant results on the offensive end of the field.

Anne Shropshire moved from the midfield to join Stefanie Mathews at the forward position, and the Deacs haven't looked back since. In nine games since the move, Wake Forest is averaging 3.22 goals per game and holding its opponents to just 1.44 goals per contest. The Deacs have outscored their opponents 29-13 during this streak of seven wins against only two losses, which includes victories over Kentucky, LSU, UNC Charlotte, Duke, NC State, UNC Greensboro and Maryland.

FRESHMEN OF INFLUENCE
Having completed the 1998 regular season, the Wake Forest freshman class has certainly made its presence felt this year. The four field players - F Emily Taggart (6 goals, 2 assists), MF Sarah Kate Noftsinger (4 g, 5 a), MF Stacy Roeck (6 g, 1 a) and F Rachel Parri (2 g, 2 a) - have accounted for 18 goals and 10 assists this season. GK Erin Regan, too, has made her mark in goal for the Deacs, sporting a solid 1.78 GAA in 15 games and 1,211 minutes.

The five players have combined to make 66 starts this season.

SNYDER ANCHORS THE DEFENSE
With senior Jessen Snyder manning the sweeper position, head coach Tony da Luz has the comfort of knowing that his defense is in good hands (or feet). A four-year veteran of the program, Snyder has appeared in 82 games in her career and owns 81 career starts, both of which are school records. Snyder passed former teammate Cheryl Zimmermann, who owned 79 career starts, earlier this season against Maryland.

Snyder was asked to move from her midfield position of a year ago to the backfield prior to the season. She has not only accepted her new role as a defender but has also excelled at her new position, helping the Deacs allow an average of just 1.44 goals per game - the third best mark in the ACC. Wake Forest owns four shutouts this season as well.

Although her name may not show up among the team's statistical leaders, Snyder may be the most valuable player on the squad.

INSIDE THE ACC STATISTICS
The Demon Deacons have several players listed among the ACC's statistical leaders. Junior Anne Shropshire is currently fifth in the league standings with 0.56 assists per game, ranks 7th with 1.67 points per game and ranks 7th with 0.56 goals per game. Senior Stefanie Mathews ranks 6th with 0.53 assists per game. Freshman goalkeeper Erin Regan ranks 5th in GAA (1.78) and second in saves per game (5.00).

As a team, Wake Forest ranks 3rd in scoring defense (1.44), 4th in shutouts per game (0.22) and 3rd in scoring offense (2.67).

ALSO WORTH NOTING...
Junior Julie Scott, who redshirted in 1997 with a knee injury, scored her first goal since the fall of 1996 against NC State. Scott, however, may be lost for the season after suffering a another knee injury against Virginia . . . freshman Emily Taggart netted her first career hat trick vs. NC State, becoming just the third player in school history to accomplish that feat . . . senior Stefanie Mathews was selected to the All-Tournament team at the Irish Key Bank Classic . . . after redshirting in 1997, junior Susie Nettelbeck scored her first goal since the 1996 season against LSU . . . the seven goals scored against NC State were the most scored by a Tony da Luz coached Wake Forest team . . . Wake Forest is ranked #16 this week and has been listed among the nation's top 25 teams at various points in each of the last three years . . . the Deacs played their final road game of the season (at UNC Charlotte on Oct. 8) before playing their first home game (vs. Duke on Oct. 11).