WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Looking to grow to be the primary workforce to win back-to-back ACC Championships because it did so in 2016-2017, the Wake Forest males’s soccer workforce will start its title protection Wednesday evening because it travels to Dallas to battle No. 7-seeded SMU within the first spherical at Washburne Stadium.
The match towards the Mustangs is slated for 7 p.m. japanese time and might be streamed stay on ACC Network Extra with stay stats accessible here.
ACC Championship History
- Wake Forest might be competing in its seventieth ACC Tournament match all-time on Wednesday night, because the Demon Deacons are 27-29-13 within the match courting again to 1987.
- In the 11 seasons underneath head coach Bobby Muuss, the Demon Deacons are 13-7-2 in ACC Tournament matches with titles in 2016, 2017 and 2024.
- This might be simply the fourth ACC Tournament first spherical match for the Demon Deacons, as they beforehand earned a 4-0 victory over Boston College on Nov. 8, 2005, a 3-0 win towards Virginia on Nov. 3, 2021 and at last a 2-1 determination over Syracuse final 12 months.
- The Demon Deacons stay the latest ACC program to win back-to-back ACC Tournament championships as it is going to look to perform the feat once more.
- This is the second-consecutive season the Demon Deacons will play a match match in Dallas, following its thrilling come-from-behind victory within the second spherical final 12 months.
Full ACC First Round Matchups
- Bye: (1) Virginia
- (9) North Carolina at (8) Notre Dame
- (10) Wake Forest at (7) SMU
- (11) Virginia Tech at (6) Syracuse
- (12) Cal at (5) Duke
- (13) Pitt at (6) Clemson
- (14) Louisville at (3) NC State
- (15) Boston College at (2) Stanford
Quick Notes
- With a purpose and an help towards Notre Dame, Cooper Flax now has 55 profession factors, tied for the eighth-most out of all energetic ACC gamers and twenty eighth in NCAA DI.
- This season, he ranks third within the convention in factors (21), seventh in targets (7) and sixth in help (6).
- The latest 3-0 residence victory over Notre Dame noticed Wake Forest soar to forty fourth in RPI because it continues to construct its postseason resume.
- Since 2015, Muuss has led the Deacs to a stellar 71-26-20 general file towards convention opponents (together with postseason).
- Also underneath Muuss, Wake Forest is 111-19-14 towards unranked opponents.
- 14 separate Demon Deacons have contributed to the 35 targets scored to this point this season, with Cooper Flax main the way in which with seven adopted by Tate Lorentz with six.
- Lorentz and Flax kind one of the productive duos within the ACC, combining for 13 targets and 39 factors, which accounts for over one-third of Wake’s complete scoring output.
- Wake Forest’s 35 targets this 12 months ranks tied for Thirteenth within the nation and tied for third within the convention.
- The Deacs are additionally tied for fifth within the ACC in assists (31) and fourth in complete factors (101).
- The Demon Deacons at the moment maintain a plus-13 goal-differential in 2025, the fifth-best within the ACC coming into the postseason.
- Wake Forest lately recorded its first clear sheet since Sept. 22 towards Liberty and its sixth of the season (second in ACC play ) in a dominant 3-0 trend over Notre Dame.
- Mednard completed with three saves to deliver his complete to 49 on the 12 months, good for fifth within the ACC.
- The Deacs have gone with a beginning backline of Amoni Thomas, Daniel Krueger, Travis Smith, Jr, and Cristian Escribano over the past seven video games.
- Smith (1,312) and Thomas (1,163) have essentially the most minutes performed out of all outfield gamers for the Deacs this season.
- Jose Perez has been an important piece for the Deacs this season on the six, scoring three targets this season and rating third on the workforce in minutes with 1,158.
- Mednard, Perez, Smith, Thomas, Flax are the one Wake Forest gamers to have began all 16 matches this season.
Series History
- This will mark simply the third all-time assembly between the 2 faculties, all in Dallas, with the earlier two coming final season.
- In the common season match, the Mustangs secured a 2-0 victory on Oct. 25, however Wake Forest returned two weeks later within the second spherical of the ACC Tournament and superior on penalty kicks after an exhilarating 2-2 draw.
- After trailing 2-0 with 13 minutes remaining, Wake Forest responded within the 78th minute, when Flax completely struck a free kick from 25-yards out.
- Just three minutes later, Ryan Belal leveled the match with a volley following a harmful ball in from defender Nicolas Mancilla.
- In penalties, Wake Forest transformed on its first 4 makes an attempt (Flax, Belal, Umar and Perez), however was then pressured into sudden dying.
- In the sixth spherical, freshman Mason Sullivan related on a robust shot down the center and gave Wake Forest the sting. SMU then missed its sixth try large left because the Demon Deacons superior to the semifinals.
Scouting the Mustangs
- SMU enters the ACC Tournament at 7-4-4 general and 3-2-3 in league play.
- Recent outcomes embrace a 0-1 residence loss to Virginia (Oct. 31) following a 0-0 draw at Stanford (Oct. 26) and a 3-2 residence win over Boston College (Oct. 18).
- The workforce at the moment holds a 5-2-2 mark in Dallas this season.
- The Mustangs common 1.47 targets per match (22 complete) on 13.8 pictures per recreation and are 5-for-5 on penalties.
- Five completely different gamers have scored, led by Stephan Soghomonian with 9, who recorded hat tips vs. Cal (Oct. 3) and Boston College (Oct. 18) in addition to a brace towards Central Arkansas Oct. 14), all throughout the span of 4 video games.
- Milton Lopez (six targets, two assists) and Mukisa Emmanuel (5 targets, one help) headline the remainder of the purpose scoring, whereas Daniel Escorcia paces the facet with six assists.
- Defensively, SMU has allowed 14 targets (0.93 per match) with 5 shutouts.
- Goalkeeper Martin Dominguez owns a 0.78 GAA and .720 save share with 4 clear sheets throughout 9 begins, whereas Soren Russell has added six begins (1.17 GAA).
Viral Deacs
- Wake Forest males’s soccer went viral final weekend because the video of Jonah Mednard’s unimaginable triple save following a Pitt penalty broke a number of Wake Forest athletics social media data.
- On Instagram, the video has already reached over 55 million views and 1.5 million likes, essentially the most in Demon Deacon historical past.
- The Wake Forest Men’s Soccer Instagram account has additionally gained over 2,000 followers throughout that span.
- Additionally, the play earned the No. 1 spot on Friday evening’s Sportscenter Top 10 performs.
Second Half Surge Continues for the Captain
- Team captain Cooper Flax has turned in a stellar stretch of kind this fall, powering Wake Forest’s assault with a sequence of record-worthy performances.
- Flax ignited his scorching streak on Sept. 22 towards Liberty, delivering his first profession hat trick and including an help for a seven-point outing, the primary by a Demon Deacon since Roald Mitchell’s efficiency towards Winthrop in 2022.
- His finishes included two early penalties—each earned by freshman Chandler Young—earlier than he capped the hat trick with a curling free kick from exterior the field within the 68th minute
- The senior midfielder adopted that up with one other commanding show towards Clemson (Sept. 26), changing a Thirteenth-minute penalty earlier than recording his first profession multi-assist recreation, together with helpers on each of Wake’s subsequent targets
- Flax stayed decisive on the highway, netting his fifth purpose of the season—once more from the spot—within the 86th minute at California to safe a 2–1 victory
- He then discovered the again of the online as soon as extra within the eightieth minute towards Wofford, salvaging a 2–2 draw to shut non-conference play unbeaten.
- Last time on the highway towards Pitt, he as soon as once more showcased his unimaginable capability on set items, as he assisted the late equalizer from a nook and now has not less than one purpose contribution in 5 of the final seven matches.
- Finally, within the final common season match of the season, a 3-0 residence win over Notre Dame, he completed with an exquisite purpose and an help in what might have been his final match at Spry Stadium.
- Now sitting on seven targets and 7 assists for a team-high 21 factors with a purpose and an help tonight, Flax leads the workforce within the large three statistical classes and continues to rank among the many ACC’s elite in complete factors and purpose contributions.
- The 2024 All-American has now totaled 19 profession targets, shifting into twentieth on Wake Forest’s all-time scoring record.
- He can be certainly one of simply two ACC gamers this season with not less than seven targets and 7 assists, together with Ransford Gyan (Clemson), underscoring his all-around influence as each scorer and creator.
The Hometown Kid
- Winston-Salem native Tate Lorentz has loved a breakout marketing campaign since transferring to Wake Forest forward of the 2025 season. The redshirt sophomore sits second on the workforce in targets (6) assists (5) and factors (16) — numbers that additionally place him among the many ACC’s greatest in all classes.
- Lorentz has been one of the scientific finishers within the convention, changing six of simply 17 complete pictures for an extremely environment friendly .353 shot share, one of the best mark on the roster.
- His season was highlighted by a five-point efficiency (2 G, 1 A) towards UNCW on Sept. 16, his first-career brace and the best single-match level complete by any Deac this season exterior of Cooper Flax’s Liberty hat trick.
- The former North Carolina Tar Heel has confirmed his knack for exhibiting up in large moments and has been an unimaginable addition to the squad.
Last Time Out (vs. Notre Dame)
- On an evening that noticed this system acknowledge 4 unimaginable seniors, the Wake Forest males’s soccer workforce (7-3-6, 2-3-3 ACC) received its common season finale with a 3-0 determination over Notre Dame (8-5-4, 3-3-2 ACC) at Spry Stadium Friday night.
- On his senior evening, Vlad Walent had the opener as he transformed from the spot within the thirty eighth minute and put the Demon Deacons in entrance earlier than the break. It marked Walent’s first purpose of the season and his first since Nov. 19, 2023 towards Indiana. He additionally reached 20 profession factors (six targets, eight assists).
- Freshman Chandler Young received the penalty for the third-time this 12 months, with intelligent work within the field.
- Senior Cooper Flax doubled the lead within the sixtieth minute with an exquisite shot from distance after nice play from Walent and Umar to set him up.
- The third and remaining purpose of the evening got here on a wonderfully executed build-up from the again as Flax drove ahead with the ball earlier than discovering Tate Lorentz within the field, who performed an ideal ball throughout the face of purpose for a tap-in for Jeffrey White.
- It marked the third purpose of the 12 months for White and fourth of his profession whereas Lorentz picked up his fifth help.
National Leader In Wins
- Named the fourth head coach in program historical past previous to the beginning of the 2015 season, Bobby Muuss‘ Demon Deacon squads have constructed on the longstanding and wealthy 45-year historical past of this system.
- Since 2015, Wake Forest’s 159 complete wins ranks No. 1 nationally, three greater than any program and 10 greater than another ACC program.
- During that span, Wake Forest can be joined solely by Indiana as the one Division I applications to have received not less than 10 matches each season.
- Additionally, Wake Forest and Indiana are the one two applications of the 211 applications nationally to carry double-digit NCAA Tournament look streaks.
- Wake Forest additionally leads the nation in wins over the past quarter-century (364), 5 greater than second-most Maryland (359).
Total Wins Since 2015
| Rank |
Team |
Total Wins Since ’15 |
| 1. |
Wake Forest |
159 |
| 2. |
Indiana |
156 |
| 3. |
Clemson |
149 |
| 4. |
Georgetown |
143 |
| 5. |
Stanford |
138 |
Looking Ahead
- With a win on Wednesday, the Demon Deacons would advance to tackle both Stanford on the highway or Boston College at residence on Sunday, Nov. 9.
- Stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and the Wake Forest Men’s Soccer social accounts for updates all through the week.