Wake Forest University
4-4-1, 1-2-1
Clemson University
8-2-0, 3-1-0
Demon Deacons Drop Home ACC Contest to No. 19 Clemson
10/1/2021 9:49:00 PM | Men's Soccer
The Demon Deacons were unable to turn a strong first half into a complete performance, as Wake Forest gave up two second half goals.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest (4-4-1, 1-2-1) men's soccer fell to No. 19 Clemson (8-2-0, 3-1-0) on Friday night, as the Tigers struck in the 87th minute to score a 2-1 victory in front of 3,560 fans at Spry Stadium.
Wake Forest scored first in the 41st minute, as redshirt junior Jake Swallen converted the Demon Deacons' first penalty kick of the year. The Tigers, however, were on the offensive attack for most of the second half to score a pair of goals.
Wake Forest will conclude a three-match homestand on Tuesday evening, matching up with William & Mary for the ninth time.
How It Happened
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Wake Forest had two early attempts in the first 10 minutes of the match including a shot on goal from senior Kyle Holcomb that was saved.
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Freshman goalkeeper Trace Alphin faced only one shot on goal in the first half.
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The Deacs opened the scoring in the 41st minute. Freshman Roald Mitchell earned a penalty kick after some brilliant hold-up play inside the box. Redshirt junior Jake Swallen stepped up and scored his second goal of the campaign and Wake Forest's first penalty kick of the campaign.
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The Deacs went into the halftime break with the 1-0 advantage.
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Eight minutes into the second half, though, Clemson equalized through a goal by Tim Strobeck.
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Shortly before the final whistle, Clemson's Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador won the game for the Tigers.
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Wake Forest was outshot 13-1 in the second half.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
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Senior Kyle Holcomb made his 60th career appearance
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Junior Omar Hernandez made his 50th career appearance.
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Sophomore Hosei Kijima made his 15th career start.
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Sophomores Chase Oliver and Oliver Sears made their 25th career appearances.
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Freshman Ryan Fessler made his 15th career appearance.
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The Demon Deacons' advantage in the all-time series is now 24-20-8.
Muuss' Musings
"It was a tale of two halves. I thought it was a good performance with a lot of energy. The guys left it on the field. I do think we saw the residual effect of the last two games, us not taking care of business and being on the backfoot with two overtime games. It's not an excuse, I think we played immature in the second half. In some ways we played not to lose instead of win. Credit to Clemson. They came out at halftime with tons of energy and we just couldn't match it. It really was a tale of two halves. They had us pinned in the second half, that's not the football that we play. But I was proud of the group. There's no moral victories. I'm proud of the group because they grinded and they worked hard. They left everything out in the field. They're disappointed and gutted now, not because they took shortcuts, just because they gave it everything they had."
Up Next
Wake Forest and William & Mary will meet for the second time in three seasons on Tuesday night at Spry Stadium.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will air live on ACC Network Extra.
Team Stats
Jake Swallen (1)
WFU Jake Swallen PENALTY KICK GOAL.
40:43
Tim Str?beck (3)
Assisted By: Ousmane Sylla
GOAL by CLE Str?beck, Tim Assist by Sylla, Ousmane.
53:33
Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador (3)
GOAL by CLE Fernandez-Salvador, Luis Felipe.
86:02
