Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Facing North Carolina with a College Cup Spot on the Line
5/10/2021 11:04:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Les Johns
The Demon Deacons and the Tar Heels will face off on Monday afternoon as the winner will advance to the College Cup.
Wake Forest defeated North Carolina 1-0 in mid-October with a Kyle Holcomb header in the 97th minute, which was the first goal scored against the Tar Heels this season.
Now the two teams square off again in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship at 5 p.m. Monday, with a trip to the College Cup on the line.
The good news for the Deacs? Holcomb, along with the two players who earned assists on his goal against the Heels, Omar Hernandez and Holland Rula, will suit up and start again Monday.
But with multiple departures from the fall squad to the professional ranks in this strange, Covid-19 impacted college soccer season that spanned both the fall and spring semesters, the Wake Forest (13-2-2) lineup will be dramatically different than what earned the early-season victory.
"The fall team beat them," said Wake Forest head coach Bobby Muuss. "The spring team has yet to play them, so we have a lot of work to do.
"They [UNC] lost maybe one key guy, but everybody else is the same as who we played in the fall. They have some young guys who are doing well for them, and they had some great experience in the fall. They're a good team."
The Heels (8-4-4) advanced to the national quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Stanford Thursday evening, with Muuss watching on prior to the Deacs facing Kentucky in the nightcap at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
"We have to play our game," Muuss said about the key to grabbing a win Monday. "It should be a good soccer game. The games against UNC have always been fun and entertaining soccer games. I just want us to play good soccer."
The Deacs advanced with a 2-1 victory over the Wildcats, led by a brace from Holcomb and two assists from Hosei Kijima.
"What a gutsy performance," Muuss said after the victory. "I just told the guys that before the season, we were the 'Baby Deacs.' We're the 'Not so much Baby Deacs' right now with the experience and the grind that we've had. We've had some tough, tough battles this year.
"That Kentucky team is a tough team to play. Obviously you saw the directness and the big balls for the small Baby Deacs that we are, but the guys just continued to fight. I thought unbelievable individual performances from Kyle Holcomb tonight, one of our captains getting the goals when we needed them. I'm just really proud of this group right now. I've got to pinch myself. We're in the quarterfinals again. This is nuts."
Sophomore forward David Wrona was 'the man of the match,' according to Muuss.
"He clears one off the line, holds balls up — it couldn't happen to a better, hard-working kid," Muuss said. "He's been out a lot with injuries. Kijima, how good was he tonight? Just a great team win."
A win Monday would send the Demon Deacons to their second-straight College Cup and the seventh in the last 14 seasons. It would be extra-special for Wake Forest to accomplish this achievement with a Starting 11 that features five sophomores, four freshmen and no seniors.
"Every team takes on a different personality," Muuss said. "They just grind. Nothing has been given to this group. We really haven't got a great deal of respect, but they just keep grinding and fighting. They're fighting to keep the Wake Forest identity intact. We're trying to play and fighting to play — and in some of these games, the opponents have made it extremely difficult. The mentality, resiliency and even naivitae that we've found with this group. We're Wake Forest, but you aren't good just because of the jersey you put on. It's what you do, how you act and how you play. This group surprises me every week with something different, but we're enjoying the heck out of it.
"This place is special and this program is special. To tell me back in December we would be doing this with a brand-new team — you have to pinch yourself. Each and every day is exciting."
