No. 19 Field Hockey Heads To No. 1 Wake Forest
09/30/2005 | Field Hockey
Sept. 30, 2005
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The 19th-ranked Spider field hockey team will take on its highest ranked opponent of the season Sunday, Oct. 2, when it visits No. 1 Wake Forest at 1 p.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Spiders, who have lost two-straight to ranked opponents, are 5-4 on the season and will finish off all but one of their 2005 non-conference games this weekend.
The Demon Deacons enter the weekend with an unblemished mark of 8-0, after topping two ranked squads in their last three games. Prior to hosting the Spiders, Wake will entertain No. 3 North Carolina, Oct. 1. The Tar Heels ended Richmond's season in 2004 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 win at Chapel Hill, N.C.
The three-time defending national champion Demon Deacons are led Kristi Harshman's six goals on just 12 shots. Wake's goalkeeper Kristina Gagliardi has allowed seven goals in eight games and has a goals-against average of 0.83 in 588 minutes of action.
Richmond is led by sophomore Shannon Taylor's five goals on 35 shots, and her four game-winners lead the squad as well. Senior Michelle La Force has passed out four assists on the season all coming as part of the Spiders' four goals of corner. Senior Michelle Swartz has given up 13 goals in her 569 minutes of play, but has posted two shutouts on this season.
The Spiders lead the all-time series with Wake, 5-3-1, dating back to the 1988 season. Wake Forest holds a current win streak of one game, taken in 1998 when the two teams met in Winston-Salem. Prior to the last match-up, the Spiders had won two-straight in 1996-97. Richmond is also 3-2 when playing the all-time series at Wake Forest.
After Sunday's game, the Spiders return home for a four-game conference homestand beginning Oct. 7. Richmond will host UMass at 3 p.m., to open the A-10 season, then welcome Rhode Island, St. Joseph's and Temple before a four-game road trip ends the season.