Wake Forest University
University of North Carolina
Wake Forest Hits the Road for ACC Test Against North Carolina
10/7/2021 10:27:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Wake Forest prepares for another Big Four contest on Friday night, facing North Carolina on the road for the first time since the 2017 season.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Wake Forest men's soccer will return to Atlantic Coast Conference action on Friday night, taking on North Carolina at Dorrance Field.
The match will mark the Demon Deacons' second road Big Four contest this season, as Wake Forest played NC State to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 24.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will air live on ACC Network Extra.
The Matchup
-
Wake Forest and North Carolina will meet for the 49th time on Friday night at Dorrance Field.
-
Wake Forest trails in the all time series 14-23-10.
-
The Demon Deacons have a 5-11-3 record in Chapel Hill as this will be their first appearance on the road against North Carolina since the 2017 season.
-
The Demon Deacons enter the match with a 5-4-1 overall record while the Tar Heels hold a 6-3-1 record.
-
Last season, the two teams split their matchups against each other. Wake Forest last October scored a 1-0 overtime victory at Spry Stadium before the Tar Heels defeated the Demon Deacons 2-1 in the 2020 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.
-
Wake Forest in its last appearance collected a 4-0 victory over William & Mary on Tuesday night.
-
North Carolina won its second ACC contest of the season on Sunday night, beating NC State 4-0.
Last Time Out
-
The Deacs found the win column for the first time since defeating George Mason with a 4-0 victory over William & Mary on Tuesday night.
-
Junior Omar Hernandez bagged two goals in the 15th and 61st minutes for his third-career brace. His last two-goal haul came in a 3-2 win over Coastal Carolina in the second round of the 2020 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.
-
Freshman Roald Mitchell scored his first collegiate goal five minutes before the halftime break.
-
Senior Kyle Holcomb found his first goal since the Demon Deacons' 3-1 victory over Pitt on September 17. He leads the team with four goals this season.
-
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Cole McNally kept a clean sheet in his first appearance since Sept. 4. McNally made two saves on two shots on target for the Tribe.
Quick Hits
-
The Demon Deacons' attack this season has been led by senior Kyle Holcomb. Holcomb leads the team in points (11) and goals (four) as he is also tied with redshirt junior Jake Swallen for the team lead in assists (three) as well.
-
His three assists are a new single-season personal best.
-
Junior Takuma Suzuki and sophomore Garrison Tubbs have accumulated the most minutes of action to date, as both have been in the Starting XI for all 10 matches so far.
-
Tubbs has recorded the most minutes with 827, followed by Suzuki with 757.
Scouting the Tar Heels
-
North Carolina ended the 2020-21 season with a 9-5-4 overall record and a 7-2-3 record in the ACC.
-
The Deacs and Tar Heels faced each other twice during the split season, recording a 1-1-0 record against each other.
-
The Tar Heels hold a 6-3-1 record for this campaign so far. Their season began with a four-match unbeaten run before dropping the ACC opener against Pitt.
-
North Carolina has been defeated twice in its last three appearances, falling to Duke 3-0 and UNCW 2-1.
-
North Carolina returns one player that earned 2020 All-ACC honors, as goalkeeper Alec Smir was named to the All-ACC second team. Smir has started all 10 matches in goal for the Tar Heels this season, keeping six shutouts.
Looking Ahead
-
Wake Forest returns to Spry Stadium for its second three-game homestand in as many weeks.
-
First up, the Deacs take on George Washington at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night.
-
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the contest will air on ACC Network Extra.
