Wake Forest University
13-6-1
Florida International University
12-4-2
Wake Forest Advances to Seventh-Straight Sweet Sixteen with Win over FIU
11/21/2021 9:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Three different Demon Deacons found the net to lift Wake Forest past FIU 3-2 in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
MIAMI -- Wake Forest (13-6-1) men's soccer has extended its streak of Sweet Sixteen appearances to seven-straight seasons, as the Demon Deacons on Sunday night defeated No. 14 FIU (12-4-2) 3-2 at FIU Soccer Stadium.
The victory over FIU also marked the Panthers' first loss at home this season as they were 7-0-0 at FIU Soccer Stadium heading into the Round of 32 showdown.
The seven-straight Sweet Sixteen appearances is tied for the longest streak in the country with Indiana and four more than any other team in the ACC.
Goals from senior Kyle Holcomb, sophomore Chase Oliver and freshman Roald Mitchell provided the edge for the Demon Deacons. The three-goal haul marked the sixth time this season in which the Deacs have scored three or more goals.
Holcomb's score gives him 33 career goals for Wake Forest, moving him into a tie with Cody Arnoux for the seventh-most goals in program history. The Deacs are now 10-1-0 when Holcomb finds the net this season.
Mitchell, fellow freshman Julian Kennedy and sophomore Garrison Tubbs all recorded assists on the three Demon Deacon goals.
Freshman Trace Alphin made three saves to secure his 10th win of the season.
Despite being outshot by the Panthers 18-6, all six of the Deacs shots were on frame. Wake Forest forced the FIU goalkeeper into three saves and earned one corner.
Wake Forest will now face Notre Dame in South Bend next weekend in an All-ACC Round of 16 contest.
How It Happened
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Sophomore Jahlane Forbes launched the first Demon Deacon attack of the match in the fifth minute. However, a Panther defender was able to close him down before Forbes could get a shot off.
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Five minutes later, Forbes did register the first Wake Forest shot of the game. His curling effort was pushed over the crossbar by the FIU goalkeeper.
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In the 21st minute, freshman goalkeeper Trace Alphin made a diving save to deny the Panthers an opening goal.
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In the 27th minute, senior Kyle Holcomb opened the scoring for the Deacs. Freshman Julian Kennedy played a through ball into the path of Holcomb. The San Marcos, Calif., native took the ball in his stride and struck it low into the bottom corner from a tight angle.
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The goal was Holcomb's 12th of the season and the 33rd of his career. Kennedy's assist was his first of his Wake Forest career.
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FIU leveled the score in the 39th minute through Mauro Bravo.
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Just two minute before halftime, sophomore Chase Oliver netted his fourth goal of the season. Oliver's shot beat the FIU goalkeeper at his near post to give the Deacs a lead heading into the break. Roald Mitchell provided the assist for Oliver's goal, his second of the season.
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Oliver's fourth strike of the season was his first goal since he scored the lone goal for the Deacs in a 1-1 draw with NC State on Sept. 24.
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The Deacs went into the break with a 2-1 lead despite being outshot 9-4 through the first 45 minutes of action.
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The Demon Deacons continued to be dominant on the defensive side of the ball as the second half progressed.
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However, FIU found an equalizer in the 63rd minute from Matteo Gasperoni.
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Just 26 seconds later, though, Wake Forest regained the lead with a goal from freshman Roald Mitchell. Sophomore Garrison Tubbs played a deft pass for Mitchell who slotted it home for the Deacs' third goal of the night.
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It was freshman's fifth goal of the season and Tubbs' fifth assist of the campaign.
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In the 86th minute FIU nearly tied the game for the third time, but Alphin made two heroic saves to deny the Panthers an equalizer.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
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Senior Kyle Holcomb appeared in his 70th career match.
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Redshirt junior Jake Swallen earned his 35th career start.
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Junior Sebastian Scrivner appeared in his 20th career match.
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Sophomore Hosei Kijima appeared in his 35th career match.
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Sophomore Jahlane Forbes earned his 20th career start in his 30th career appearance.
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Freshman Roald Mitchell appeared in his 20th career match.
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Freshman Trace Alphin earned his 15th career start.
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Freshman Ryan Fessler earned his fifth career start. With his 26th career appearance as well, he has tied Ike Opara (2007) for the most appearances during a freshman season in program history.
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Freshman Tareq Shihab earned his first career start.
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The match marked the first-ever postseason meeting with FIU in program history and the first true road NCAA Tournament match for Wake Forest since Dec. 1, 2013.
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Wake Forest has advanced to a seventh-straight Sweet Sixteen, the longest such streak in program history and the third-longest streak by any ACC school ever.
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With the outcome, Wake Forest has now won 15 NCAA Tournament second round matches.
Muuss' Musings
"As a game, it was an emotional one. We're a young team. This is not familiar for us in a good way and in a bad way because we had to go on the road in the NCAA Tournament. This is the first road game that we've played in the NCAA Tournament in the last seven seasons in a really difficult environment against a really good team. I couldn't be more proud of the guys and the way they fought. We knew we may have to mix it up and maybe not play as pretty football as we normally do. But, we're at seven Sweet Sixteens in a row and I think these guys deserve a heck of a lot of credit. I told the guys before the game this was for the ACC just as much as it was for Wake Forest or the alumni or the fans back at home. I'm extremely proud."
Up Next
Wake Forest will face Notre Dame next weekend with a spot in the Elite Eight at stake. With the match, Wake Forest will have played every ACC foe during the 2021 season.
Team Stats
Holcomb, Kyle (12)
Assisted By: Kennedy, Julian
GOAL by WAKE Holcomb, Kyle (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Kennedy, Julian, goal number 12 for season.
26:32
BRAVO,MAURO (4)
GOAL by FIU BRAVO,MAURO, goal number 4 for season.
38:36
Oliver, Chase (4)
Assisted By: Mitchell, Roald
GOAL by WAKE Oliver, Chase, Assist by Mitchell, Roald, goal number 4 for season.
41:44
GASPERONI,MATTEO (2)
Assisted By: HODEK,JULIAN
GOAL by FIU GASPERONI,MATTEO, Assist by HODEK,JULIAN, goal number 2 for season.
62:45
Mitchell, Roald (2)
Assisted By: Tubbs, Garrison
GOAL by WAKE Mitchell, Roald, Assist by Tubbs, Garrison, goal number 2 for season.
63:09
