Another ACC power gets scare

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Sep 24, 2009

MEN'S NEWS ... Like North Carolina, Maryland, Duke and Virginia the day before, Wake Forest made things hard on itself in its mid-week non-conference test. Corben Bone broke a 1-1 tie in the 53rd minute to lift the No. 9 Demon Deacons to a 2-1 victory against Elon on Wednesday night. But for a couple of great saves by Wake keeper Akira Fitzgerald, the Phoenix could have tied the score.
 
-- Next up for Wake Forest is another non-conference game on Saturday against No. 6 Harvard. The Crimson improved to 6-0-0 with a 1-0 win at New Hampshire on Wednesday. Freshman Brian Rogers, who had the goal against UNH, has complemented All-American Andre Akpan beautifully up front. Rogers, who had started as an eighth-grader for his high school team in Bronxville, N.Y., already has four goals and three assists.

* BACK IN GOAL. During UMBC's 8-0-0 start, much of the attention has been focused on Andrew Bulls and Levi Houapeu, who have combined for 18 goals. But one of the unsung stars has been freshman goalie Phil Saunders. He wasn't even the starting goalie last year at Maryland's Perry Hall High School -- the starter was Zach Kane, now at Loyola (Md.) -- but Saunders' play with the Baltimore Bays caught the attention of UMBC coach Pete Caringi. "He played the last year of high school as a back and made all-state," Caringi told the Catonsville Times, "but we knew he was probably the best goalkeeper in the state."

Wednesday's Results

* HAT TRICK HERO. Justin Meram, one of the many stars from JC juggernaut Yavapai now scattered across the country, had his first hat trick in No. 18 Michigan's 5-1 victory over Bowling Green on Wednesday night. After being blown out by Notre Dame, 5-1, on opening day, the Wolverines have been unstoppable. The triumph was their seventh straight -- and fifth straight by two or more goals.