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  • No. 2 Wake Forest Men's Soccer Moves to 6-0 After Topping Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2

No. 2 Wake Forest Men's Soccer Moves to 6-0 After Topping Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2

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Soccer

The No. 2 ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team (6-0-0, 1-0-0 ACC) secured its sixth consecutive victory to open the 2022 season on Tuesday night, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson (2-3-1, 0-0-0 NEC) 3-2 at Spry Stadium.

The two sides went into the halftime break knotted at one goal apiece, as sophomore Roald Mitchell finished a spectacular goal in the 17th minute only for FDU to respond just six minutes later. In the second half, the Demon Deacons once again took the lead only for FDU to fight back and tie it up 2-2 in the 68th minute. 

However, freshman Cooper Flax scored the game-winning goal in the 75th minute to finish off the Knights. 

With the victory, Wake Forest tied a program record for consecutive home victories (12), tying a streak that was set Aug. 24-Nov. 4, 2018. Over the 12-match home winning streak, Wake Forest has outscored opponents 37-6 and recorded seven clean sheets. 

Additionally, Wake Forest's current 12-match home winning streak is the longest in the country ahead of Lipscomb's eight-match home winning streak. 

The Demon Deacons will make their ACC road debut on Friday night, facing Virginia Tech at Thompson Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. 

How It Happened 

  • Wake Forest was on the front-foot early once again, as sophomore Roald Mitchell (sixth minute) and freshman Cooper Flax (seventh minute) tested FDU goalkeeper Spencer King. 

  • Junior Garrison Tubbs got a foot on a 12th-minute corner kick, but his attempt was saved. 

  • Wake Forest would strike first in the 17th minute, as Mitchell's highlight reel volley put the ball into the back of the goal for his fifth goal of the season. 

    • Sophomore Ryan Fesslser recorded his second assist of the season while freshman Vlad Walent became the 16th Demon Deacon this season to log an assist.

  • Fairleigh Dickinson, however, responded just six minutes later with a breakaway goal to equalize. 

  • Wake Forest was provided a 35th-minute free kick outside of the 18, however, Flax's attempt went left of the frame. 

  • The Demon Deacons had one final free kick outside of the box just before halftime, but sophomore Baba Niang's bender was saved by King, his third save of the first half. 

  • Walent took the first shot of the second half, but his 50th minute attempt skied over the FDU goal. 

  • Mitchell would put the Deacs back out in front in the 64th minute, as a perfectly placed through ball from junior Colin Thomas gave the sophomore room to beat King for the second time on the night. 

    • Tubbs also registered an assist on the goal, as the team captain became the 17th Demon Deacon this season to add an assist to his ledger. 

  • FDU responded once again in the 68th minute, as Hugo Bacharach headed home a Knights corner kick.

  • Wake Forest once again took back a one-goal advantage in the 75th minute, as Flax came up clutch for his first collegiate goal to beat King. 

    • Juniors Oscar Sears and Jahlane Forbes each picked up their second assists of the season on the strike. 

Demon Deacon Details of Note

  • With the victory, Wake Forest pushed its season record to 6-0-0, as the Demon Deacons have outscored opponents 15-4. 

  • Wake Forest now leads the all-time series against Fairleigh Dickinson 1-0-0. 

  • The victory was the 195th career win for head coach Bobby Muuss and his 121st at Wake Forest. 

  • Dating back to last season, Wake Forest has now won 12-straight matches at Spry Stadium with eight of those victories coming against non-conference opponents. 

  • In those matches, Wake Forest has outscored opponents 37-6.

  • The victory was Wake Forest's 121st win since the beginning of the 2015 season, extending an NCAA-best total for wins during that span and 14 more than any other program in the country (Indiana, 107). 

  • The outcome marked the 88th home win for Wake Forest since the 2015 opener. The Deacs' 88 home wins are most in the country and 20 more than any other program in the country (Indiana, 68).

  • Juniors Prince Amponsah and Garrison Tubbs made their 40th career appearances. 

  • Junior Sidney Paris made his 30th career appearance and his sixth as a Demon Deacon. 

  • Sophomore Julian Kennedy made his 25th career appearance. 

  • Redshirt sophomore Cristian Escribano made his 20th career appearance. 

  • Sophomore Baba Niang made his 10th career appearance. 

From Coach Muuss
"Give FDU credit. In transition, they were dangerous and they got forward quickly with numbers. We let the game get a little end-to-end and as a fan, that's pretty exciting. As a coach, I aged a little bit. But ultimately, we came here and we wanted to get a win and midweeks are hard and it's a certain mentality. But these guys showed a lot of resilience tonight against a little bit of adversity that we haven't seen here in the last couple of games." – Bobby Muuss 

Up Next
Wake Forest will face Virginia Tech on Friday night in Blacksburg, Va., in the 28th meeting between the two sides and the first at Thompson Field since Sept. 14, 2018.