Wake Forest Downs Boston College, 4-3, in Opening Game of ACC Field Hockey Championship

Nov. 5, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Wake Forest senior forward Kim Romansky and senior midfielder/forward Raisa Schiller each scored a goal and notched an assist as the Demon Deacons defeated Boston College, 4-3, in the first game of the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship in Charlottesville, Va. today. The fourth-seeded Demon Deacons advance to the semifinal round and will play top-seeded Maryland on Friday.

Wake Forest improves to 12-5 overall and will advance to the semifinal round of the ACC Field Hockey Championship for the 12th straight season. The loss drops Boston College to 13-6 overall.

Neither team was able to gain an edge in the early part of the first half until Boston College advanced the ball downfield for two quick shots from senior forward Chelsey Feole, an All-ACC pick in 2009. The first was saved by Wake Forest freshman goalkeeper Kaitlyn Ruhf and the rebound shot was blocked by a defender.

The Deacons had an opportunity of their own soon after when sophomore forward/midfielder Hilary Moore took possession of a loose ball, but fired the shot wide right.

Boston College took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when junior defender/midfielder Emily Kozniuk scored her sixth goal of the season. Junior midfielder Janna Anctil was credited with the assist, her 13th in 2009.

The Deacons needed just three minutes to answer back. Freshman midfielder Lizzie Rae and Romansky successfully engineered a two-on-one break in the 18th minute to knot the score at 1-1, with Rae scoring on Romansky's assist. It was Rae's 11th goal of the season and Romansky's third assist.

Romansky added to Wake's lead with a goal of her own--her fifth of the season--when she scored in the 28th minute to increase the Deacon advantage to 2-1, a lead they took into halftime.

In the second half, Schiller scored in the 42nd minute to increase Wake's lead to 3-1. The All-ACC midfielder/forward dribbled to the left side of the cage, spotted up, and fired a cross-field shot that banked off the cage boards for her sixth goal of the season. Wake scored its fourth goal of the game and ran its lead to three at 4-1 during the 46th minute, as All-senior All-ACC midfielder Melissa Martin scored an unassisted goal from the top of the circle.

Trailing 4-1, Feole began to lead the Eagles on a comeback crusade with her ACC-high-tying 25th goal of the season in the 48th minute, then followed with an assist to sophomore midfielder/forward Courtney Tavener in the 53rd minute to close the gap to 4-3 in favor of Wake Forest.

With less than five minutes to play, Boston College fifth-year head coach Ainslee Lamb pulled junior goalkeeper Kristine Stigas, but the 11-10 advantage did not come to fruition and the Demon Deacons closed out the victory.

The Deacons out-shot Boston College by a 16-11 margin, but the Eagles held a 4-3 lead in penalty corners. Ruhf logged all 70 minutes in goal for Wake, and made three saves. Stigas tallied four saves for Boston College in 66 minutes between the pipes.

Wake Forest advances to the semifinal round and will take on top-seeded Maryland on Friday, November 6 at 4 p.m. at the University of Virginia TurfField. The winner will advance to the championship game on Sunday, November 8 at 1 p.m.

More information on ACC field hockey can be accessed by visiting theACC.com. All 2009 ACC Field Hockey Championship information can be found on the official championship website, www.theacc.com/championships/09-fh-championship.html.