Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Rounds Out 2016 Schedule
5/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
2016 Schedule | 2016 Printable Schedule 
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMSoccer)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- After releasing the 2016 ACC schedule in April, Wake Forest men's soccer unveiled the rest of its fall slate on Tuesday with nine nonconference matches and two preseason exhibitions against teams that combined to amass 98 victories in 2015.
"We are very excited about our 2016 fall schedule," said head coach Bobby Muuss. "We have a very competitive schedule against a number of NCAA participants from the last few seasons. This year's schedule is similar to last year's in the sense that our group will face some of the best teams in college soccer. Ultimately, we want to challenge the group throughout the regular season to give ourselves the best opportunity to advance and compete in the postseason."
Overall, seven of Wake Forest's nine nonconference matchups will be played at Spry Stadium. The Demon Deacons will open the season with a six-game homestand, the longest streak of home games in a single season since the Demon Deacons hosted six opponents in a row to open the 2011 season. With the team's ACC opponents included, Wake Forest will match up against a total of eight NCAA Tournament participants from a season ago.
Following a road exhibition against 2015 Southern Conference champion Furman (Aug. 14) and a home tune-up against UNCW (Aug. 20), Wake Forest opens the regular season on Aug. 26 against 10-time national champion St. Louis before welcoming Cal Poly two days later on Aug. 28. The homestand will continue with matches against Cleveland State (Sept. 3) and Appalachian State (Sept. 6) prior to the ACC opener on Sept. 10 against Virginia before it closes Sept. 13 against George Washington.
The Deacs' other two home, nonconference games include a Sept. 20 matchup against Florida International before Marshall makes the trip to Spry Stadium on Oct. 11. The only two nonconference road trips Wake Forest will make in 2016 are short trips to Davidson on Sept. 27 and to South Carolina on Oct. 18.
"We understand we have a lot of work to do," Muuss said. "But I believe in this group of young men and our senior leadership will have the team up for the various different challenges this schedule poses."
Unique about the 2016 season, the Demon Deacons have a mix of new and familiar foes. Of the opponents, three programs -- South Carolina, Davidson and Appalachian State -- are the most common nonconference foes in Wake Forest history. South Carolina and Davidson have each matched up against the Demon Deacons 33 times since 1981 and Appalachian State 21 times since 1983. Since 1981, the 2014 season is the only campaign the Demon Deacons did not play either South Carolina, Davidson or both opponents in a season. Though a familiar opponent, the Deacs will renew their rivalry against Appalachian State with the first match between the two since Sept. 25, 2012, a 4-0 home victory for Wake Forest.
On the flip side, the six remaining nonconference foes have combined to play just 10 games against Wake Forest all-time. Both the George Washington and Marshall contests will mark the first for the Deacs against the two programs since the mid-1980s and the Aug. 28 contest against Cal Poly will be the first-ever meeting between the two.
In 2015, Wake Forest's nonconference opponents posted an overall mark of 98-86-26 with Cal Poly, FIU, South Carolina and Furman each reaching the NCAA Tournament. Throughout 2016, Wake Forest will test itself with the exhibition against Southern Conference champion Furman and the Sept. 20 game against Conference USA king Florida International. The Deacs will also take on upstart Marshall, which made a run to the C-USA title game by beating South Carolina in the semifinals on the way to finishing with four wins over the course of the final six games.
In April, Wake Forest's eight-game ACC schedule was announced and features home games against Virginia (Sept. 10), NC State (Sept. 24), Louisville (Oct. 15) and Boston College (Oct. 22). Road ACC contests this season include trips to Duke (Sept. 16), Clemson (Sept. 30), Notre Dame (Oct. 8) and Syracuse (Oct. 28).
