Wake Forest University
10-3-0, 3-2-0
William & Mary
4-2-6, 2-1-3
No. 10 Wake Forest Drops 2-1 Outcome Against William & Mary
10/11/2022 8:31:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Despite the Deacs holding a 14-5 advantage in shots, Wake Forest was unable to secure a victory over William & Mary.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- The No. 10 ranked Wake Forest (10-3-0, 3-2-0 ACC) men's soccer team fell to William & Mary (4-2-6, 2-1-3 CAA) by a final of 2-1 on Tuesday night at the Martin Family Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.
The two sides went into the halftime break knotted at one goal apiece, as William & Mary took an early 1-0 lead before a beautifully struck 33rd-minute free kick from sophomore Ryan Fessler evened the score. Despite the Deacs creating numerous chances throughout the second half, the Tribe were able to get a second in the 75th minute to take down Wake Forest in non-conference action.
Wake Forest will return to Spry Stadium and ACC play on Saturday night, hosting Boston College in the program's annual Genna Wiley Memorial Match.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the contest will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
How It Happened
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Wake Forest earned an early corner kick in the third minute, but the Deacs were unable to convert the restart into a goal.
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The Deacs would build up a second opportunity in the ninth minute, but a pass from senior David Wrona to junior Oscar Sears was saved by the William & Mary goalkeeper.
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The Tribe earned back-to-back corner kicks in the 10th and 11th minutes, but the Deacs held strong.
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Sophomore Roald Mitchell pinged a shot from distance in the 18th minute, but his attempt went directly to William & Mary goalkeeper Danilo Nikcevic.
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William & Mary took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute as Nathan Messer unloaded an attempt from outside of the 18-yard box to get the early lead.
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After Mitchell was fouled just outside of the 18, sophomore Ryan Fessler drew the Deacs back level in the 33rd minute off a perfectly placed free kick attempt.
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The goal was the Charlotte, N.C., native's first of the season as he became the 14th different Deac to score this season.
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Additionally, it was the first goal William & Mary had conceded at home since Delaware scored against the Tribe on Sept. 10.
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In the closing stages of the first half, junior Jahlane Forbes tried to get Wake Forest ahead off a 44th-minute corner kick, but his attempt on frame was acrobatically knocked away.
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Wake Forest continued to push for a second goal early after the halftime break, including a 50th-minute corner kick that resulted in a shot from Forbes that skied over the goal.
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In the 55th minute, Niang lifted a shot from the top of the 18-yard box that was off target.
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The Deacs continued to apply pressure on the Tribe, including attempts from Niang (59th minute) and Mitchell (60th minute) that tested the 1-1 score.
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Junior Chase Oliver logged a 62nd-minute attempt inside the box that was saved.
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Niang registered yet another near-make for Wake Forest in the 70th minute, as sophomore Leo Guarino placed the ball at the feet of Dakar, Senegal, native, but Nikcevic came up with his fifth save of the evening.
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William & Mary retook the lead in the 75th minute off a quick restart from a free kick. The score would prove to be the decider in a 2-1 victory for the Tribe.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
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Junior Garrison Tubbs earned his 45th career start.
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Junior Prince Amponsah earned his 40th career start.
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Senior David Wrona earned his 15th career start and his first of the 2022 campaign.
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Sophomore Ryan Fessler made his 40th career appearance in his 11th career start.
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Entering the match, Wake Forest had won 10-straight regular season matches against non-conference opponents.
From Coach Muuss
"This is a hard one to take, but not going to say we deserved better because to win games at this level you need to be detail-oriented and tonight – although we played really well at times – we lacked the details in critical moments. We need to learn and grow on the positives of the game as we prepare for a very good Boston College team at Spry on Saturday night." – head coach Bobby Muuss
Up Next
Wake Forest and Boston College will meet in each side's sixth ACC contest on Saturday night at Spry Stadium.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will air on ACC Network Extra.
Team Stats
Nathan Messer (3)
Assisted By: Alexander Levengood
GOAL by W&M Messer, Nathan Assist by Levengood, Alexander.
19:00
Ryan Fessler (1)
GOAL by WFU Fessler, Ryan.
32:36
Lucas Caldas (1)
Assisted By: Alfredo Bozalongo , Alexander Levengood
GOAL by W&M Caldas, Lucas Assist by Bozalongo, Alfredo and Levengood, Alexander.
74:08
