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Saturday, 7:00 PM – Wake Forest vs Morehead State

Battered but far from beaten, Wake Forest will try and send out their program changing senior class on a high this NCAA Tournament. The Demon Deacons have been ridiculously unlucky with injuries this season, especially in the attack. Jenai Davidson went down before the season, Rachel Nuzzolese was lost early in the year, and Katie Stengel went down in the heart of ACC play. Crazily enough, Wake hasn’t buckled, not being shutout in their past five games despite all the offensive losses. Still, the Demon Deacons have netted more than one goal just once in the past ten matches. With the defense a bit less resolute than usual, that’s a problem. Wake’s defense has also kept just one clean sheet in the past seven, including giving up multiple goals in four of those matches, anathema to a program that’s prided itself on D in recent years. The rearguard may be a bit wobbly, but the last line of defense remains strong. Aubrey Bledsoe is head and shoulders the best senior goalkeeper in the country and will be crucial to any hopes Wake has for a long run through November. If Wake does get buried in a deep hole though, they could find it hard to get out of. Stengel is still the second leading scorer for the club despite playing just twelve of eighteen games. The onus is now on Riley Ridgik, capable of some real piledrivers from range, to deliver the goals for the Demon Deacons. It’s a daunting task for a talented player but not one accustomed to carrying the load in attack. WFU has traditionally been a team that’s thrived on set pieces, and that might be the way forward in this tournament for them. Wake still has enough to get out of the first weekend, but they’ll probably find it hard to keep pace with Penn State next weekend, though they aren’t going to make it easy for anyone.

To hell and back after a cataclysmic 2-12-4 season in 2012, Morehead State made it all the way to the NCAA Tournament after winning the OVC Tournament following a second place finish in the league. It was particularly impressive considering the club was beaten silly in non-conference play. Nobody expected wins against the likes of Ohio State and West Virginia, but it often got ugly, including a 7-2 loss to Louisville. There were also shocking defeats to Akron and Northern Kentucky that hardly inspired confidence. But MSU was able to turn things around in the league, though a defeat in the penultimate round of the league cost them a share of the league title. Having won three in a row coming into this matchup though, head coach Warren Lipka will be hoping his side is peaking at the right time. One thing the Eagles do have in their favor is the presence of a big name striker in Jade Flory. Highly touted since transferring from Youngstown State before this season, Flory has not disappointed, winning OVC Offensive Player of the Year honors after fourteen goals and five assists this year, including nine goals in ten league games. That’s almost half of the club’s total this season, underlining the Eagles’ reliance on their talisman. With some of Wake’s defensive struggles as of late, Flory might just get a chance or two to put her name up in lights. At the same time though, MSU’s defense against the better clubs they’ve played this season is frightful. Though Wake doesn’t have as much punch as usual, they still probably have enough to ease past MSU, though that hardly sullies the job that was done in Morehead this season.

Prediction – Wake Forest 3 – 0 Morehead State

Morehead State Tournament Prediction – First Round
Wake Forest Tournament Prediction – Second Round

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