Soccer Gameday: Wake Forest vs. NC State

Gameday Central \| Wake Forest vs. NC State
Game 2	Saturday, Oct. 3, 7:00 p.m.
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch on ACC NX
Location	Winston-Salem, N.C. (Spry Stadium) - Facility Info
Information	Wake Forest Notes \| @Wake M Soccer

The Matchup

Wake Forest will host NC State in the Demon Deacons' home and ACC opener at Spry Stadium.
The Demon Deacons enter the match with a 1-0-0 record after beating Louisville 3-1 in the season opener on Sept. 25.
NC State enters the match with a 0-1-0 record after suffering a 1-0 double overtime defeat to Duke on Sept. 26.
Wake Forest will be seeking its eighth-straight victory in an ACC opener. Over the previous seven conference openers, the Demon Deacons have outscored their opponents 17-2.
The meeting will be the 46th between the two North Carolina institutions, with Wake Forest holding a 29-11-5 advantage in the all-time series.
The Demon Deacons won the only game between the two schools last year, as No. 6 Wake Forest defeated No. 20 NC State 3-1.
Wake Forest has won the last five meetings dating back to a 1-0 victory over NC State on Sept. 24, 2016.
Their first showdown came during the Demon Deacons' inaugural season, as they faced off on Oct. 29, 1980.

Last Time Out

Wake Forest began its 2020 campaign with a 3-1 victory over Louisville last Friday.
Machop Chol opened the scoring in the fifth minute, as the senior took a one-timer from Calvin Harris for his 11th career goal.
Harris then added to Demon Deacons' lead in the 35th minute, striking from the top of the 18-yard box. It marked the third multi-point game of the sophomore's Wake Forest career to date. It proved to be the game-winning goal.
For his efforts, Harris was named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week along with Pitt's Bertin Jacquesson.
It marks the second time Harris has won the weekly honor.
Kyle Holcomb added to Wake's scoring in the 51st minute, burying a penalty kick in the corner of the net. Holcomb's goal came just four minutes after Louisville scored on a free kick.
Freshmen Hosei Kijima and Garrison Tubbs along with sophomores Jake Swallen and David Wrona made their first career starts.

Quick Hits

For the second consecutive week, Wake Forest tops the United Soccer Coaches' rankings.
This is the 49th straight week in which the Deacs have appeared in the top 10.
This is the 69th straight week in which the Deacs have appeared in the top 25.
Wake Forest (44) was picked to finish in second place in a loaded ACC South Region, just one vote behind Clemson (45).
The Demon Deacons (4) also received the second-most votes as the ACC's overall champion behind the Tigers (5).
The freshman class once again is receiving national attention, rated as the No. 7 incoming class by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Scouting the Wolfpack

The Wolfpack opened the season with a 1-0 double overtime loss to Duke, as the Blue Devils' Nick Pariano scored the game-winning goal with 34 seconds left in the match.
In his first match in more than a year, Wolfpack goalkeeper Leon Krapf made six stops before Duke's game-sealing strike.
NC State finished 9-7-3 last year with a 3-4-1 record in conference play.
NC State made it to the NCAA tournament where the Wolfpack lost in the first round in double overtime against Coastal Carolina.
The Wolfpack finished 37th in the RPI last season.
NC State outscored their opponents 12-7 in the first half last season.

Looking Ahead

Wake Forest will remain at home for its next match, a non-conference affair with UAB on Saturday, Oct. 10. The match will be played at 7 p.m.
It will mark the last of two non-conference matches during the season for Wake Forest, as the season-opening victory over Louisville wasn't part of the ACC schedule.
This will be the third all-time meeting between the Demon Deacons and Blazers and the first since 1996.

Wake Forest leads the all-time series 2-0.

Fan Disclosure
At this time, Spry Stadium will continue to be closed to the public. There will be a limited number of student-athlete families in the stands, however, the anticipated expansion from the Governor's office only applies to outdoor venues that can seat more than 10,000 fans. With that, Walt Chyzowych Alumni Hill will be able to host 50 fans for men's soccer with 40 of those allocated to Wake Forest students and 10 reserved for The Congregation at the Polo Road and Wingate Road intersection. Face coverings and physical distancing is required on the hill. Students will be awarded their spots on the hill through a weighted student ticket lottery through the new Screamin' Demon Rewards program.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kyle Holcomb

Hosei Kijima

Jake Swallen

Garrison Tubbs

David Wrona

Wake Forest Athletics