Wake Forest University
Virginia Tech
No. 2 Demon Deacons Set to Face Virginia Tech Friday Night
9/15/2022 11:32:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Wake Forest will make its first appearance at Thompson Field since Sept. 14, 2018.
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The No. 2 ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team will play in its second ACC match of the season and first on the road Friday night, facing Virginia Tech at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Va.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
The Matchup
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Wake Forest enters the match with a 6-0-0 overall record and a 1-0-0 record in ACC action. The Demon Deacons are one of just six schools remaining that have yet to suffer a draw or defeat this season.
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Virginia Tech, meanwhile, is 0-4-1 on the season and 0-1-0 in ACC play after falling to Virginia by a final of 4-2 last Friday.
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Wake Forest currently ranks in the top-10 nationally in assists per game (3.67, 4th), shots per game (18.33, 10th), goal differential (+11, 10th) and points per game (8.67, T-10th). Defensively, Wake Forest has allowed just for goals through the first six matches of the season.
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The Demon Deacons have also had 17 players log an assist on the season so far.
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Virginia Tech – coming off six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances – opened the 2022 season on the West Coast with tough matchups against Grand Canyon and then-No. 23 UCLA before playing the last three matches in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Last Time Out
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Wake Forest faced a tough test from Fairleigh Dickinson in a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night at Spry.
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The Deacs opened the scoring in the 17th minute, as sophomore Roald Mitchell's spectacular finish put Wake Forest on the board first.
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Despite the opening strike, FDU responded in the 23rd minute to make it a 1-1 contest at halftime.
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Wake Forest took back the lead in the 63rd minute courtesy Mitchell before FDU once again equaled the scoring in the 68th minute.
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The Demon Deacons took back the lead for good late, as freshman Cooper Flax collected his first-career goal to make it 3-2.
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With his two goals against the Knight, Mitchell is currently tied for the national lead in goals (six) and tied for third in points (13) on the season.
Scouting The Hokies
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Virginia Tech (six) has the second-longest NCAA Tournament appearance streak in the ACC behind only Wake Forest (11).
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Highlighted by a top-five national ranking and a victory over then-No. 1 Marshall, the Hokies last season finished at 11-5-4.
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The Hokies have faced a difficult schedule to date, as Wake Forest will be the second preseason top-25 foe for Virginia Tech while Grand Canyon also received votes in the opening United Soccer Coaches poll.
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Offensively, Virginia Tech has been led by Misei Yoshizawa's two goals while Ben Martino has manned the net in all five of the Hokies' matches this season.
The ACC Road Ahead
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Annually being the toughest conference in the country, Friday night's match will be Wake Forest's second ACC contest of the season after defeating NC State 2-0 in the opener.
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After facing Virginia Tech, Wake Forest's next two conference games will be against current No. 1 Clemson (Sept. 24) and current No. 5 Duke (Oct. 1).
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In the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, five ACC sides were ranked including No. 16 Syracuse, Wake Forest's opponent on Oct. 7.
Looking Ahead
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Wake Forest will return to Spry Stadium on Tuesday night, hosting George Mason for a 7 p.m. kick. The match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
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The Demon Deacons have won their last 12 matches at Spry, tying a program record of consecutive wins that was first set during the 2018 season.
