Wake Forest University
8-4-1, 3-2-1
Virginia Tech
8-2-3, 3-2-1
Wake Forest Downs No. 5 Virginia Tech in 3-1 Thriller
10/16/2021 10:04:00 PM | Men's Soccer
The Demon Deacons recorded three goals en route to their second top-5 win of the year, this time over Virginia Tech.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest (8-4-1, 3-2-1) toppled No. 5-ranked Virginia Tech (8-2-1, 3-2-1) on Saturday night at Spry Stadium. The victory came during the annual Genna Wiley Memorial Match.
With the win, the Demon Deacons continued a 12-match home winning streak against the Hokies as well.
Wake Forest opened the scoring through sophomore Jahlane Forbes. Forbes in the 35th minute stripped the ball from a Hokie defender before delicately chipping the ball over Virginia Tech goalkeeper Ben Martino. The goal was Forbes' first of the season and the second of his Demon Deacon career.
The Hokies found an equalizer shortly after the halftime break through Connor Pugh.
Only four minutes later, though, sophomore Hosei Kijima broke through the Hokies' backline and fed a cross to senior Kyle Holcomb. Holcomb found the back of the net to give the Deacs the lead back once again, one that they would hold until the final whistle.
With that goal, Holcomb jumped into the top-10 in all-time career goals in Wake Forest history.
In the 76th minute, freshman Roald Mitchell scored his third goal of the season and his first against an ACC opponent.
Wake Forest will conclude a three-match homestand on Tuesday night for the Demon Deacons' final non-conference match of the season, hosting Loyola (Md.). Kick-off at Spry Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m.
How It Happened
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Senior Kyle Holcomb recorded the first shot of the night in the second minute, but it was saved.
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Junior Omar Hernandez took a free kick just outside of the 18-yard box in the seventh minute, but his attempt was also saved.
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The Demon Deacons received a second free kick at nearly the same spot in the 22nd minute, but the shot from redshirt junior Jake Swallen skied over the crossbar.
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Wake Forest, however, took the lead in the 35th minute as sophomore Jahlane Forbes took advantage of a Hokie miscue in the back to beat goalkeeper Ben Martino.
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Possession in the first half was nearly even, with the Hokies holding it for 51 percent of the time.
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Virginia Tech evened up the score in the 52nd minute, as Wake Forest conceded a goal to Conor Pugh.
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Despite the Hokie goal, the Demon Deacons responded just four minutes later as Holcomb struck for the 27th time in his Wake Forest career, tying him with Andrew Lubhan (2010-13) for the 10th-most ever in program history.
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Then in the 77th minute, freshman Roald Mitchell scored his third goal in Wake Forest's last four matches, being the final piece in a sequence that featured juniors Nico Benalcazar and Takuma Suzuki assists.
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Freshman Trace Alphin in the 83rd minute made an impressive save, one of three on the night for the Raleigh, N.C., native.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
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Sophomore Garrison Tubbs made his 25th career start.
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Sophomore Prince Amponsah made his 20th career start.
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Sophomore Jahlane Forbes checked into the match in the 28th minute, marking his first appearance since Sept. 28.
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With the victory, Wake Forest is now 2-0-0 against teams ranked in the top-five of the United Soccer Coaches poll this season. The Demon Deacons defeated then-No. 5 Pitt 3-1 on Sept. 17.
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The four-match winning streak is the team's longest so far this season and the longest since a four-match winning streak from Oct. 18-Nov. 7, 2020.
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Wake Forest extends its advantage in the all-time series against the Hokies to 21-3-3.
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The Demon Deacons are now 5-0-1 against the Hokies under current head coach Bobby Muuss.
Muuss' Musings
"First off, we beat a really good Virginia Tech team. That's the best Virginia Tech team that we've played since I've been here. That's a team that makes deep NCAA tournament runs. We approached this game like we had an NCAA Tournament game at Spry. I think the mentality from both groups was quite good. You're starting to see some young guys mature in front of our eyes, but it was a good team performance. We didn't want to make it a transitional game and we put a couple of chances away. But, a great team performance and three points in the ACC at home. We'll take it. We have a quick turnaround for Tuesday against a really good Loyola team. But, we're going to enjoy it tonight and the most important game of the season is Tuesday."
Up Next
Wake Forest will host Loyola (Md.) on Tuesday night in the second-ever meeting between the two schools.
Team Stats
Jahlane Forbes (1)
GOAL by WFU Forbes, Jahlane.
34:50
Conor Pugh (5)
Assisted By: Danny Flores
GOAL by VPI Pugh, Conor Assist by Flores, Danny.
51:50
Kyle Holcomb (6)
Assisted By: Hosei Kijima
GOAL by WFU Holcomb, Kyle Assist by Kijima, Hosei.
55:45
Roald Mitchell (3)
Assisted By: Takuma Suzuki , Nico Benalcazar
GOAL by WFU Mitchell, Roald Assist by Suzuki, Takuma and Benalcazar, Nico.
76:45
