Soccer Gameday: No. 1 Wake Forest at South Carolina

Gameday Central \| No. 1 Wake Forest at South Carolina
Game 15	Tuesday, Oct. 16, 7:00 p.m.
Coverage	Live Stats \| Live Video
Location	Columbia, S.C. (Stone Stadium) - Facility Info \| Weather
Information	Wake Forest Notes \| @WakeMSoccer

The Matchup
• The No. 1-ranked Demon Deacons return to the road for back-to-back games, starting with a trip to South Carolina on Tuesday to wrap up the non-conference schedule.

Last Time Out
• Wake Forest picked up another ACC victory, taking down Boston College by a 2-1 score on Friday night.
• Michael DeShields scored his first goal of the season off assists from Kyle Holcomb and Sam Raben in the closing minutes of the first half.
• After Boston College tied the game at 1-1, Alistair Johnston netted the game-winner in the 75th minute with a one-timer off a cross from Aristotle Zarris.
• Andreu Cases Mundet saved four of the five shots on goal he faced.

Quick Kicks
• Wake Forest was ranked No. 5 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll and moved up to No. 1 in the first weekly poll. The Deacs have been ranked in the top five in 29 consecutive polls dating back to the middle of the 2016 season - 22 more weeks than any other program (Indiana/North Carolina - 7).
• The Deacs are once again one of the top teams in the country. Wake Forest has the second-highest winning percentage in the nation (Saint Mary's), and is second nationally with 40 goals.
• Wake Forest has a lot of new faces after sending seven into the MLS ranks following the 2017 season. Still, the Deacs brought in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, headlined by top-50 recruits Isaiah Parente, Kyle Holcomb, Koby Carr and Aristotle Zarris.
• Since the start of the Bobby Muuss era in 2015, Wake Forest has a 68-9-7 overall record. That win total is the most of any Division I program.

Opponent & Series History
• Wake Forest leads the all-time series against South Carolina, 18-12-5, including four-straight wins. Last year, the Deacs earned a come-from-behind victory, with Jon Bakero tying it in the 65th minute and Ema Twumasi tallying a 89th-minute game-winner.
• South Carolina enters with a 3-8-0 overall record, though seven of the eight losses have come by one goal, including three in overtime. The Gamecocks did defeat the last ACC program they faced, beating No. 19 Virginia Tech in double overtime.
• Justin Sukow leads USC with three goals and seven points, while Justin Bauer and Ian McGrane have split time in goal.

Up Next
• The Demon Deacons play in their regular season road finale at No. 14 Virginia on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jon Bakero

Koby Carr

Andreu Cases Mundet

Michael DeShields

Kyle Holcomb

Alistair Johnston

Isaiah Parente

Sam Raben

Ema Twumasi

Aristotle Zarris

Wake Forest Athletics