Sept. 30, 2009

Wake Forest Notes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The ninth-ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team has a pair of opportunities to earn its first conference win of the season this weekend when it hosts Duke on Thursday night at 7 p.m. and travels to Clemson for a 2 p.m. tilt on Sunday.

Thursday night's game is Optimist Night at Spry Stadium. Any Optimist soccer participant in uniform will receive free admission to the match. Also, the Mighty Deacs Kids Club will hold a pregame tailgate, beginning at 6 p.m., on the front lawn of Spry Stadium.

Wake Forest enters this weekend's action with an 8-2-0 overall record and a 0-1-0 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Demon Deacons opened the conference slate on Sunday, suffering a 4-0 defeat to top-ranked North Carolina.

The Demon Deacons are paced by senior forward Jill Hutchinson, who has scored a team-best eight goals and also added two assists. Senior forward Kaley Fountain has netted six goals and is tied with junior midfielder Bianca D'Agostino for the team lead in assists with four.

Senior goalkeeper Laura Morse has played 739 minutes in goal for Wake Forest, allowing eight goals and making 19 saves. The Rutherfordton, N.C., native has three shutouts on the season and is one clean sheet away from tying the school's career record for shutouts.

Duke enters Thursday's match with a 4-4-2 overall record, including a 0-1-0 record in ACC play. The Blue Devils dropped their first conference match of the season, suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss at North Carolina.

The Blue Devils are led by senior forward KayAnne Gummersall, who has scored a team-high six goals and also leads the squad with 14 points. Sophomore forward Chelsea Canepa has scored five goals, while senior forward/midfielder Elisabeth Redmond has a team-best six assists, along with two goals.

Freshman Tara Campbell has seen the majority of time in goal for the Blue Devils. Campbell has played 739 minutes, allowing 10 goals for a 1.22 goals against average. Campbell, who has also made 33 saves, has recorded two shutouts. Sophomore Emily Nahas has also seen time in net, playing 207 minutes, allowing a goal and making two saves.

Clemson carries a 3-7-0 overall record into the weekend's action and an 0-2-0 conference mark. The Tigers have suffered losses at Virginia Tech and Virginia in their first two league games of the season.

The Tigers are paced by freshman forward Maddy Elder, who has scored nine of the team's 17 goals on the season. Elder has also added an assist for a team-high 19 points. Sophomore forward Tara Cort, with two goals, is the only other Clemson player to score more than one goal on the season. Senior midfielder/forward Lily Boleyn has a team-leading two assists.

Paula Pritzen has seen all the time in goal for Clemson on the season, posting a 1.84 goals against average with 19 goals allowed and 40 saves. Pritzen has a 3-7-0 record and has three shutouts to her record.

Wake Forest will be meeting Clemson and Duke for the 20th time in series history. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 12-5-2 against the Demon Deacons, while Clemson carries a 12-4-3 edge against Wake Forest.

Tickets for Thursday's match are $6 each and can be purchased by calling the Wake Forest ticket office at (336) 758-3322, 1-888-758-DEAC, or online at WakeForestSports.com. Tickets will also be available at the Spry Stadium box office on gameday.

Live stats and recaps from both matches will be available on WakeForestSports.com.