Wake Forest University
7-0-0, 2-0-0
Virginia Tech
0-5-1, 0-2-0
Wake Forest Secures Seventh-Straight Victory to Open 2022 Season
9/16/2022 10:33:00 PM | Men's Soccer
A 52nd-minute goal from junior Colin Thomas proved to be the difference as Wake Forest moves to 2-0-0 in the ACC.
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The No. 2 ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team (7-0-0, 2-0-0 ACC) went on the road Friday night and defeated Virginia Tech (0-5-1, 0-2-0 ACC) 1-0 at Thompson Field.
The two sides went into the halftime knotted at 0-0 despite a near-goal from sophomore Roald Mitchell in the 22nd minute, as a Hokes goal-line clearance prevented him from scoring his seventh of the season. Just minutes after the break, though, Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead as junior Colin Thomas slipped a ball past Virginia Tech goalkeeper Ben Martino.
The strike would ultimately prove to be the game-winner, as Wake Forest kept a clean sheet for the fourth time this season.
Following the conclusion of Friday's results, Wake Forest is also one of just four schools that remain unbeaten and untied so far this season, joined by Charlotte, Presbyterian and Dayton.
Wake Forest will return to Spry Stadium on Tuesday night to host George Mason in non-conference action. The Demon Deacons enter the match with the longest home winning streak in the country at 12-straight victories.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
How It Happened
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Virginia Tech recorded the first shot of the night in the 21st minute, but Nick Blacklock's attempt did not move sophomore Trace Alphin off his line.
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One minute later, sophomore Roald Mitchell looked destined for his seventh goal of the season but the shot was knocked away at the line by the Hokies.
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Sophomore Baba Niang was the first sub of the night for the Demon Deacons, checking into the match in the 27th minute.
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Niang had a 36th-minute free kick attempt that was placed on frame but saved.
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Senior Omar Hernandez entered the match in the 41st minute, his first appearance for the Demon Deacons since Nov. 7, 2021.
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Sophomore Leo Guarino nearly got the Demon Deacons on the board in the 44th minute, but his first shot of the night went left of the frame.
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Wake Forest finished the first half with a 6-1 advantage in shots with four of those attempts coming on goal.
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Sophomore Colin Thomas broke open the scoring in the 52nd minute, as the sophomore put one past a diving Ben Martino.
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The goal was the first of the season for Thomas and the second of his career.
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Freshman Cooper Flax and Vlad Walent collected assists on Thomas' strike.
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After the Wake Forest goal, the Hokies cranked up the pressure on the Demon Deacon backline as Alphin had to make a diving effort to stop a quick response.
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Sophomore Julian Kennedy had the Deacs' next best attempt at a goal in the 66th minute but Martino delivered with a big save.
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Off a free kick for the Deacs, junior Sidney Paris had a diving 69th-minute header that was saved.
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Junior Hosei Kijima rocketed a shot that banged off the crossbar in the 84th minute.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
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With the victory, Wake Forest has won its first seven matches for the second time in five seasons, joining the 2018 squad that won its first 11 outings en route to an 18-3-0 overall record.
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Wake Forest is now 22-3-3 all-time against Virginia Tech and 8-2-2 against the Hokies in Blacksburg.
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The Demon Deacons are 6-0-1 against the Hokies under head coach Bobby Muuss.
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The victory was Wake Forest's 122nd under Muuss and his 196th career win as a head coach.
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Since the start of the 2015 season, Wake Forest has won 122 matches – most in the country by 14 victories (Indiana, 108).
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Wake Forest is now 2-0-0 in road action this season, as the team also defeated UAB away from Spry Stadium earlier this month.
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Junior Prince Amponsah earned his 35th career start.
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Redshirt sophomore Cristian Escribano earned his 20th career start.
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Senior Omar Hernandez made his season debut and his 60th career appearance.
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Senior Takuma Suzuki made his 50th career appearance.
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Sophomore Leo Guarino appeared in his 20th career match.
From Coach Muuss
"I thought it was sloppy and I thought there was a lot of fatigue in the match. We dealt with a ton of adversity, but the guys continue to show their resilience. It was not pretty, but you've got to tip your hat to Virginia Tech. They were two different teams. I thought they were a completely different team in the second half and caused us a ton of problems but we bent and didn't break. We blocked shots when we needed to block shots and came up with big-time defensive plays, and then got the goal that we needed at that point of the game. It is an ACC road win and these are not easy to come by." – Bobby Muuss
Up Next
Wake Forest will return to Spry Stadium to host George Mason in the second meeting in as many seasons between the two sides.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will air on ACC Network Extra.
Team Stats
Colin Thomas (1)
Assisted By: Cooper Flax , Vlad Walent
GOAL by WFU Thomas, Colin Assist by Flax, Cooper and Walent, Vlad.
51:40
