Soccer Gameday: No. 1 Wake Forest vs. NC State

Gameday Central \| ACC Quarterfinals - No. 1 Wake Forest vs. NC State
Game 18	Sunday, Nov. 4, 1:00 p.m.
Coverage	Live Stats \| ACC Network Extra
Location	Winston-Salem, N.C. (Spry Stadium) - Facility Info \| Tickets: $8 \| Weather
Information	Wake Forest Notes \| @WakeMSoccer

The Matchup
• The top-ranked and No. 1-seeded Demon Deacons open postseason play in the ACC Championship Quarterfinals against eighth-seeded NC State on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
• General admission tickets are $8. ACC students with a valid school ID receive free admission, and entry to the Walt Chyzowych Alumni Hill is also free.

Last Time Out
• Wake Forest clinched the top seed of the ACC Championship with a come-from-behind, 2-1 overtime victory over No. 17 Louisville on Oct. 26. The Deacs also had a bye in the first round of the ACC Championship on Wednesday.
• Aristotle Zarris tied the game in the 62nd minute when he finished a one-timer off a cross from Omir Fernandez.
• Bruno Lapa scored his 10th goal of the season in overtime off a sequence of passes from Isaiah Parente and Justin McMaster to clinch the win.
• After a back-and-forth first half, Wake Forest out-shot Louisville 11-1 in the second half and overtime.

Quick Kicks
• The Deacs are 6-1-1 in the ACC Championship under head coach Bobby Muuss, including back-to-back tournament titles in 2016 and 2017.
• 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 31 consecutive polls dating back to the middle of the 2016 season - 22 more weeks than any other program (Indiana/North Carolina - 9).
• 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 47 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 71-9-7 overall record. That win total is the most of any Division I program.

Opponent & Series History
• Wake Forest leads the all-time series against NC State, 27-11-5. The Deacs are unbeaten in the last 14 meetings (11-0-3), with the last loss coming in 2005. Wake Forest has outscored NC State 37-10 in those games, including a 3-0 victory in the ACC-opener this year, fueled by a two-goal game by Omir Fernandez.
• NC State enters the game with a 9-5-3 overall record following a 3-1 victory over Boston College in the opening round of the ACC Championship on Wednesday.
• David Loera leads the Wolfpack with 12 points on three goals and six assists, while Gabriel Machado and Brad Sweeney are tied for the team-lead with four goals apiece.
• Leon Krapf has played every minute in goal, recording a 1.07 GAA, .725 save percentage and seven shutouts.

Up Next
• The winner of this game plays the winner of No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 Notre Dame in the semifinals on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Koby Carr

Omir Fernandez

Kyle Holcomb

Bruno Lapa

Justin McMaster

Isaiah Parente

Aristotle Zarris

Wake Forest Athletics