Wake Forest University
University of North Carolina
Demon Deacons Take On North Carolina for a Spot in the College Cup
5/9/2021 10:43:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The two ACC powerhouses will face off in Cary with the winner advancing to the semifinals of the 2020 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.
CARY, N.C. -- No. 4 Wake Forest (13-2-2) will look to advance to the 2020 College Cup when the Demon Deacons face No. 16 North Carolina (8-4-4) on Monday afternoon in Cary, N.C.
Wake Forest made the Elite Eight after taking down No. 24 Kentucky 2-1 on Thursday night in Cary, following up the Demon Deacons' 3-2 win over No. 25 Coastal Carolina in their second round matchup at Spry Stadium.
North Carolina advanced after defeating No. 5 Stanford 1-0 in Cary on Thursday afternoon, following the Tar Heels outlasting No. 14 Charlotte in penalty kicks in the second round.
Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed here.
The Matchup
-
The Demon Deacons enter the contest No. 4 in the latest United Soccer Coaches rankings, as the latest inclusion marked the 85th-straight week of appearing in the top-25.
-
Additionally, Wake Forest has appeared in the top-10 of that poll for 65-straight weeks.
-
The Demon Deacons also received two first-place votes in the latest poll.
-
Wake Forest is currently riding an eight-match unbeaten streak as the Demon Deacons this spring are 6-0-2.
-
The Demon Deacons were the only ACC squad to score a point in every conference match it played in this spring.
-
North Carolina qualified for postseason play with an at-large bid, finishing second in Coastal Division of the ACC during the spring with 13 points. Fellow ACC Elite Eight participant Pittsburgh finished first in the division as the Panthers will face Washington on Monday.
Last Time Out
-
Behind the connection of freshman Hosei Kijima and junior Kyle Holcomb, Wake Forest put home two goals on Thursday night to down No. 24 Kentucky 2-1.
-
It was Holcomb's seventh and eighth goals of the season respectively while marking the first two assists of Kijima's career.
-
Sophomore David Wrona was a presence throughout the match in his second-straight start.
-
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Cole McNally made four saves in his second career NCAA Tournament start.
Scouting the Tar Heels
-
North Carolina enters the Elite Eight with an 8-4-4 record, going 4-1-1 in the Coastal Division of the ACC this spring.
-
Giovanni Montesdeoca leads North Carolina's attack this season with four goals. Milo Garvanian leads the Tar Heels with four assists.
-
Alec Smir has been one of the top goalkeepers in the country this season, starting all 16 matches for North Carolina with a miniscule 0.53 GAA. His nine shutouts leads the ACC this season.
-
Wake Forest trails in the all-time series against North Carolina, 14-22-10. The Deacs, however, have gotten the better of the Tar Heels of late, winning the last four matchups between the two including a 1-0 overtime victory earlier this season.
NCAA Men's Soccer Championship History
-
This season's selection marks the 24th time in the program's 40-year history of making the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.
-
The program has made the College Cup six times, including twice under current head coach Bobby Muuss (2016 and 2019).
-
In 2007, the Demon Deacons earned their first National Championship by defeating Ohio State 2-1 in the Final.
-
The Demon Deacons are 14-5-0 in NCAA Men's Soccer Championship play under Muuss.
-
Wake Forest has advanced to the Elite Eight in five of Muuss' six seasons at the helm.
Looking Ahead
-
The winner of Monday's match will advance to the College Cup to face either Marshall or Georgetown in the semifinals. Monday's match between the Thundering Herd and the Hoyas will be contested at 1 p.m. at WakeMed Field #2.
-
All remaining 2020 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship matches will be played in Cary.
