Some things are worth the wait. Protecting a perfect record is most definitely one of them. The Demon Deacons were forced to wait out a double overtime game, pitting Loyola Marymount against Vanderbilt on Sept. 15, but it was worth it. Loyola Marymount eventually edged out the Commodores and the Deacs took the field. Staring down 20th-ranked Southern California, the Deacs were not quite ready to tarnish their season.

The Deacs took control from the opening kick off. The rainy weather ­ ranging from a slight drizzle to a torrential downpour ­ added an ext˙ra element for the Deacons to contend with in the match.

Wake Forest played through, controlling possession through the vast majority of the half. In the first half alone the Deacons tallied nine shots, but at first it seemed that none of them would find the back of the net. With just over 30 minutes left in the half junior midfielder Katherine Winstead sent a diving pass to freshman forward Melanie Schneider. Schneider sent a beautiful shot past USC goalkeeper, Julie Peterson, but a miraculous defensive stop by a USC defender cleared the ball from the goal. USC saw its best scoring chances halfway through the first period. At the 25:29 mark the Deacs ended the USC momentum as senior defender Joline Charlton made a great defensive steal just past midfield and sent the ball up field. Both teams' players collapsed into the box, fighting for possession. The confusion in the box resulted in the Deacs first goal of the contest. Winstead and freshman forward Sarah Kozey were given credit for the assist on the goal in the box. With just over 10 minutes left in the half Wake Forest had a prime scoring opportunity when USC committed a handball in the box. However, Peterson came up big in goal for USC, anticipating the shot perfectly and making a spectacular save on the ensuing penalty shot.

The defensive excitement turned to offensive celebration minutes later. At the 37:14 USC's mark Jackie Fodor broke away from the pack on the right side, beating senior defender Melissa Murray-Hobbs and passing the ball up to midfielder Ali Fennell. Senior goalkeeper Erin Regan was the only line of defense in the way and Fennell was able to slip a shot past her into the corner of the goal. This goal proved to be the only offensive attack USC could organize. With a minute to play in the half junior, defender A.B. Robbins controlled the ball in mid-air on the USC side of the field. Robbins sent a pass to junior forward Alena Thom who dribbled past the defense and sent a textbook shot into the far corner of the goal. The last minute shot ended the first half and was the last of the scoring in the game.

The second half witnessed continual Deacon domination as USC managed to take only two shots compared to six for the Deacons. "Our goal going into the game was to put high pressure on them, forcing them to make more mistakes," sophomore goalkeeper Kenna Healy said.

The victory over USC brought the Deacs' to 7-0 and propelled them into the top 10 with a No. 8 ranking. The Deacons recorded their sixth win just two days earlier with a 2-0 victory over previously undefeated Loyola Marymount.

The Lions opened the game confidently, viewing this contest as the biggest of their young season. In their three prior victories the Lions' defense had triumphed, not allowing a single goal to be scored. In the first half of play the defense for both teams shinned as Robbins and Hobbs made several spectacular plays. The Lions took five shots, but Regan did not allow any of them past her, saving two. While the Deacon defense stood out in the first half, the offense could not seem to find its groove. The exuberant play of the Lions resulted in no Deacon shots in the first period of action.

"Coming into the game we knew how intense they would be," Healy said. "But we just had confidence in ourselves and the feeling that we had seen the best they had to offer in that one half."

The assumption was correct. Wake Forest dominated the second half taking nine shots and scoring two goals as the "blue collar" philosophy of the Deacs paid off. As the Deacons found their offensive rhythm, the defense pushed up and began to play their typical attacking style.

Defenders, Robbins and senior Gabi Lieb teamed up to score the first goal. Lieb sent the ball across field to the awaiting Robbins who sent a shot into the back of the net. Under five minutes later a third defender got into the scoring mix. Charlton scored the second insurance goal with credit for the assist going to senior Tracy Chao and sophomore Meghan Mullins.

The Deacons will begin conference play Sept. 20 at 7p.m. as ACC rival Maryland will travel to Winston-Salem to take on the Deacs. Currently Wake Forest sits atop the ACC standings and is ready to defend both their perfect record and Spry Stadium.