Wake Forest University
Florida International University
Wake Forest Facing FIU on Sunday Night in NCAA Tournament
11/20/2021 3:12:00 PM | Men's Soccer
The Demon Deacons will face the Panthers on Sunday night at FIU Soccer Stadium with a spot in the Round of 16 on the line.
MIAMI -- The Wake Forest men's soccer team will look to advance to a seventh-straight Sweet Sixteen when the Demon Deacons face No. 13 seed FIU in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship on Sunday night at FIU Stadium.
The Demon Deacons defeated Mercer 2-1 on Thursday at Spry Stadium to set up this showdown with FIU, as the Panthers won the Conference USA regular season championship.
Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the match will air live on ESPN+.
The Matchup
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Wake Forest and FIU will meet for the sixth time ever and for only the second time in Miami on Sunday night in an NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Round of 32 match.
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The Demon Deacons lead the all-time series against the Panthers 4-1-0. The most recent matchup came during the 2016 season when Wake Forest beat FIU 2-0 at Spry Stadium.
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The Demon Deacons enter this match with a 12-6-1 record this season following a 2-1 win over Southern Conference tournament champions Mercer in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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The Panthers earned the No. 13-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and a first round bye after winning the Conference USA regular season title.
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FIU dropped its last match to then-No. 10 Kentucky 3-0 in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament.
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The Demon Deacons qualified for their 11th-straight NCAA Tournament and their 25th tournament appearance overall in program history.
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FIU is appearing in the program's 11th NCAA Tournament.
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Wake Forest has won eight of its last 10 matches. The Deacs have outscored their opponents 31-11 during that span, highlighted by a 7-0 victory over Loyola Maryland and a 3-1 victory over then-No. 5 Virginia Tech.
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The Demon Deacons are 14-6-0 in second round NCAA Tournament matchups.
Last Time Out
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Wake Forest took down the SoCon champions Mercer 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.
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With the outcome, the Demon Deacons earned a 10th victory at Spry Stadium for the campaign.
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Senior Kyle Holcomb bagged a brace en route to his first multi-goal game of the season.
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Holcomb now has netted 11 goals this season and his two scores moved him into seventh place for the most career goals in program history (32).
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Redshirt junior Jake Swallen and sophomores Hosei Kijima, Prince Amponsah and Oscar Sears all registered assists on Holcomb's goals.
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Freshman goalkeeper Trace Alphin made six saves to secure his ninth win of the season.
Wake Forest In The NCAA Tournament
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With its inclusion in this year's event, Wake Forest has now reached the NCAA Tournament 11-straight seasons.
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The streak is the longest in the ACC by five seasons (Virginia Tech, six).
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Additionally, Wake Forest is tied with Maryland for the second-longest NCAA Tournament appearances streak nationally, trailing only Indiana.
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Wake Forest, Indiana and Maryland are the only schools in the country to make the NCAA Tournament each of the last seven seasons.
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Wake Forest has reached these marks while playing in the toughest conference in the country.
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This season, the ACC once again has the most teams in the NCAA Tournament at eight. The MAC is second with five teams.
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Wake Forest has made the College Cup six times -- including twice under seventh-year head coach Bobby Muuss -- and won the 2007 National Championship.
Scouting The Panthers
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FIU this season was led in scoring by Stephen Afrifa's eight goals followed by seven scores from Bernardo Dos Santos.
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Tyler Hogan has started 10 of the Panthers' 17 matches in net this season, recording 29 saves while logging a 5-1-0 record.
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The Panthers went undefeated in conference play during the regular season, beating Charlotte, Coastal Carolina and then-No. 1 Marshall.
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FIU has an overall record of 12-3-2 and holds a 3-2-1 record against ranked teams. The Panthers took down ranked foes in UCF, VCU and then-No. 1 Marshall. Their ranked losses came against Clemson and No.10 Kentucky.
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The Panthers have a 7-10-1 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament. They also hold a 1-2-1 record in the second round.
Looking Ahead
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If Wake Forest defeats FIU, the Demon Deacons would face the winner of the Notre Dame vs. Villanova matchup next weekend. A victory by the Demon Deacons and a loss by Notre Dame would mean Wake Forest would host a Sweet Sixteen match against Villanova at Spry Stadium.
