Wake Forest University
11-6-1, 4-3-1
Duke University
12-3-1, 5-2-1
Wake Forest Falls in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
11/7/2021 4:40:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Wake Forest and Duke engaged in a tightly contested match on Sunday afternoon that went in favor of the Blue Devils by a final of 3-2.
DURHAM, N.C. -- Wake Forest men's soccer (11-6-1) saw its run in the 2021 ACC Men's Soccer Championship come to an end in the quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon, as the Demon Deacons fell to Duke (12-3-1) by a final of 3-2 at Koskinen Stadium.
Each team struck twice in the first half to make it a 2-2 match at the halftime break, however, Duke found its game-winning goal in the 77th minute to score the victory. Wake Forest's goals were scored by redshirt junior Jake Swallen and junior Nico Benalcazar.
Wake Forest will now await to hear its name called for the 2021 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship bracket on Monday, Nov. 15.
How It Happened
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Junior Omar Hernandez recorded the first shot of the contest in the third minute, but his attempt skied over the crossbar. Duke's first shot of the match came in the 15th minute, which was saved by freshman Trace Alphin.
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Redshirt junior Jake Swallen took a shot on a free kick on the outside of the 18-yard box in the 23rd minute, but it was saved by Duke.
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In the 27th minute, following a handball in the box by the Blue Devils, Swallen stepped up for a penalty kick. While his initial attempt was stopped, he buried the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.
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Duke, however, would score goals in the 30th and 32nd minutes off successful attempts from Thor Ulfarsson to put the Blue Devils ahead.
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One minute before the halftime whistle, junior Nico Benalcazar connected with Swallen corner kick to put the Deacs level. The goal was Benalcazar's first of the season while Swallen provided his team-leading fifth assist. Additionally, it is the third time this season the Deacs have scored off a corner from Swallen.
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The two sides went into the break even on goals but the Deacs recorded six shots to the Blue Devils' five.
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Back and forth throughout the second half Duke took a 77th-minute lead on a goal from Jai Bean. The strike proved to be the game-winning goal.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
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Senior Kyle Holcomb earned his 45th career start.
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Senior Holland Rula earned his 40th career start.
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Junior David Wrona appeared in his 45th career match with his start on Sunday.
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Junior Takuma Suzuki earned his 35th career start.
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Sophomore Prince Amponsah earned his 25th career start.
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The matchup was the 49th all-time between Wake Forest and Duke and the 10th between the Demon Deacons and the Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament.
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It also marked the first postseason meeting between the two Big Four foes since Nov. 5, 2006.
Muuss' Musings
"It's a tough loss. I don't think we played poorly, but we didn't play great. I thought we got exposed for our defensive lapses. But we've got to learn from it. It's a tough loss because we were up a goal. It was back and forth, it's just a tough one for us. We have got to get better but we lost to a good Duke team. I think they are dangerous at what they do. Their front two are as good as any two in the country, and we just didn't do a good enough job defensively in transition."
Up Next
Wake Forest will now turn its attention to the NCAA Selection Show, which is set for 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15 on NCAA.com.
Team Stats
Jake Swallen (5)
GOAL by WAKE Swallen, Jake.
26:03
Thorleifur Ulfarsson (13)
GOAL by DUKE Ulfarsson, Thorleifur.
29:38
Thorleifur Ulfarsson (13)
Assisted By: Shakur Mohammed , Cameron Kerr
GOAL by DUKE Ulfarsson, Thorleifur Assist by Mohammed, Shakur and Kerr, Cameron.
30:43
Nico Benalcazar (1)
Assisted By: Jake Swallen
GOAL by WAKE Benalcazar, Nico Assist by Swallen, Jake.
44:10
Jai Bean (1)
Assisted By: Cameron Kerr , Antino Lopez
GOAL by DUKE Bean, Jai Assist by Kerr, Cameron and Lopez, Antino.
76:29
