Wake Forest Athletics
Soccer Gameday: No. 2 Wake Forest at Louisville
10/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMSoccer)
| Gameday Central | Wake Forest at Louisville | |
| at Louisville | Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. |
| Location | Winston-Salem, N.C. (Lynn Stadium) Weather | Facility Info |
| Coverage | Live Stats |ESPN3 | Louisville Website | Twitter Updates  |
| Information | Wake Forest Notes (PDF)  | ACC Weekly Release |
Wake Forest Hunting for Overall ACC Title Friday
• The Demon Deacons are one of three teams fighting for the overall ACC championship Friday night. Wake Forest will battle Louisville at 7 p.m. in the regular-season finale in Kentucky.
• Friday's game marks the fifth meeting between the two programs. In the previous four dating back to 2007, the two teams have each won twice.
How The Deacs Win the ACC
• First and foremost, a win for the Demon Deacons would at the very least guarantee the Atlantic Division title and No. 2 overall in the ACC.
• North Carolina currently leads the ACC's overall standings with 18 points, one point in front of Wake Forest and two points in front of Clemson. With a victory Friday night against Virginia, North Carolina would win the ACC's regular-season title.
• If the Demon Deacons earn a win and North Carolina ties or loses, Wake Forest would be the overall ACC champion and No. 1 overall seed with 20 points.
• If Wake Forest ties and North Carolina loses, barring a Clemson win at NC State, Wake Forest would be the overall champion based on the Oct. 17 victory over the Tar Heels. If Clemson were to win Friday in this scenario, the Tigers would win the ACC.
• If Wake Forest loses and Clemson wins, Clemson would be the ACC Atlantic winner and at least the No. 2-seed while Wake Forest would drop to No. 3 overall and second in the Atlantic.
• If Wake Forest loses and Clemson ties, UNC would win the ACC and the Atlantic would be decided by goal differential after the Deacs and Tigers 1-1 draw last month.
• Be sure to follow @WakeMSoccer on Twitter or visit WakeForestSports.com for updates regarding the ACC Championship and where the Demon Deacons finish in the standings.
Last Time Out
• Wake Forest scored three goals in the first 20 minutes on the way to beating Davidson 4-0 on Tuesday night in a cold rain and wind.
• Jon Bakero notched his third goal in as many games to take the team lead in goals scored this year with seven while Jack Harrison had a four-point night with a goal and two assists in just 20 minutes of game action.
Scouting the Cardinals
• Picked at the outset to win the ACC Atlantic, Louisville has not had the year it envisioned with a sub-.500 record. The Cardinals have lost five of their last seven.
• Tate Schmitt leads Louisville with six goals and four assists for 16 points. Daniel Johnson is close behind with five goals on the year.
Defense Wins Titles
• Wake Forest has had two scoreless streaks of 300-plus minutes this season. The latest ended Friday against Notre Dame at 543 scoreless minutes. It spanned the Sept. 26 match against Clemson to Friday's tilt against the Irish.
• The first streak spanned 327 minutes from Aug. 30 vs. FIU to Sept. 15 vs. Elon.
• With five-straight shutouts prior to Friday's result, Wake Forest tied the program record for most in a row. Only in 1991 and 2007 did the Deacs have the same stretch.
On the National Scene
• Wake Forest ranks in the top 6 nationally in 11 categories - assists per game (No. 1), points per game (No. 1), save percentage (No. 4), scoring offense (No. 2), shots on goal per game (No. 6), shutout percentage (No. 4), team goals against average (No. 3), total assists (No. 1), total goals (No. 2), total points (No. 1) and winning percentage (No. 5).
• With 11 assists this year, Jack Harrison ranks No. 2 in the nation in the category behind Joey Piatczyc of West Virginia, who has 12.
• Alec Ferrell's .872 save percentage ranks No. 7 in the nation. Logan Keys of LIU Brooklyn leads the category with a .914 save percentage.
Playing The Nation's Best
• In nine games against teams in the top 30 of the RPI, Wake Forest holds a 6-1-2 record, including a mark of 3-0-1 against the No. 2-5 teams on the list. In those nine games, Wake Forest has outscored the opponent 17-7.
• The Demon Deacons still have one more team on the schedule this year (Louisville) that ranks inside the top 30 in this week's RPI rankings.
Up Next
• Wake Forest will await its opponent in the ACC Championship Quarterfinals. Based on seeding, the Demon Deacons have already secured a first-round bye and will next play on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. at Spry Stadium. All games for the ACC Championship this year are being held at campus sites, including the semifinals and finals.
