Wake Forest University
University of Virginia
Wake Forest and Virginia Face Off Saturday Night in Massive ACC Clash
10/21/2022 11:59:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Currently No. 2 in the ACC Atlantic and Coastal respectively, Wake Forest and Virginia meet Saturday with huge implications heading into postseason play.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Wake Forest men's soccer is set to face a fourth ranked ACC foe this season on Saturday night, as the No 25 ranked Demon Deacons match up with No. 24 Virginia at Klockner Stadium.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
The Matchup
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Saturday's match will mark the fourth time in seven ACC regular season matches this season that Wake Forest is facing a ranked foe (No. 4 Duke, No. 7 Syracuse, No. 10 Clemson and No. 24 Virginia).
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Both teams will enter Klockner looking to solidify their seeding in the ACC Tournament and, potentially, stay eligible for a division crown entering the final weekend of the regular season.
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Wake Forest is currently in second place in the Atlantic Division, three points behind Syracuse, while Virginia is in second place in the Coastal Division, one point behind Duke.
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Entering the weekend's slate of action, Wake Forest is one of four teams in the country with 12 wins, joined by No. 1 Washington, No. 4 Syracuse and No. 10 Vermont.
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The Deacs are coming off back-to-back victories, scoring a 3-1 decision over Boston College last weekend before defeating Wofford 3-0 on Tuesday night.
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Virginia, meanwhile, is unbeaten in its last three appearances, drawing with No. 2 Duke and Hofstra while also beating Clemson on the road.
Last Time Out
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Wake Forest closed out non-conference action with a 3-0 victory over Wofford, as juniors Garrison Tubbs and Oscar Sears along with sophomore Leo Guarino scored for the Deacs.
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Tubbs opened the scoring in the 14th minute, tapping in a cross from freshman Vlad Walent for his second goal of the season.
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Shortly after the second half kicked off, Sears collected his sixth goal of the season when senior Takuma Suzuki created a midfield turnover before finding the Stockholm, Sweden, native. Sears is now tied with sophomore Roald Mitchell for the team lead in goals (six) and points (15).
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Guarino concluded the scoring in the 90th minute with his fourth goal of the season.
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Wake Forest earned its sixth clean sheet of the season as sophomore Trace Alphin tallied three saves.
Scouting The Cavaliers
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Virginia this week returned to a national ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll, checking in at No. 24. The Cavaliers are also No. 12 in RPI through Thursday night's action.
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This season, Virginia has been led in scoring by the trio of Kome Ubogu (six goals), Leo Afonso (five goals) and Philip Horton (five goals), as they have combined to score 16 of the Cavaliers' 27 goals in 2022.
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With three assists as well, Afonso leads the team in points with 13.
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Defensively, Virginia has allowed just seven goals in 10 home matches this season as Holden Brown has started all 14 matches for the Cavaliers at keeper.
Looking Ahead
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Wake Forest will close out the regular season on Friday night, hosting Louisville in a nationally televised showdown at Spry.
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Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. and the match will air on the ACC Network.
