Wake Forest Hosting Defending National Champion Syracuse in Top-20 Spry Showdown

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In a key early ACC clash, the No. 20 ranked Wake Forest men's soccer team will host No. 7 Syracuse, the 2022 NCAA National Champions, on Saturday night at Spry Stadium. The match will be the first of four home ACC regular season contests for the Demon Deacons.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

Fan Information
Parking is encouraged in lots A, B, Q, W1 & W2. A complete parking map of campus is here.

Gates open one hour prior to kickoff for all home matches.

Wake Forest Athletics is committed to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina within a safe and fan-friendly environment. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free Wake Forest flag. Additionally, the weekend will serve as Alumni Weekend for the program.

Ticket Information
2023 Wake Forest soccer season tickets are on sale now, giving fans the opportunity to witness The Best Fan Experience In North Carolina from a number of unique seating options.

Adult season tickets start as low as $70 for general admission and $50 for youth while reserved chairbacks are $130 for fans and $104 for Wake Forest University faculty and staff.

The quickest and most efficient way to order tickets and take advantage of these new seating experiences is to visit GoDeacs.com/Tickets and purchase online or call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Accessibility Information
Wake Forest Athletics strives to provide content at games, social media and on GoDeacs.com that is accessible to all people. In the continued effort to improve accessibility of the technology and digital content at tomorrow's game, fans can access closed captions here for the public address announcer and in-venue content.

Wake Forest Athletics is always open to learning about new ideas and ways we can improve. Please report accessibility challenges, identify content you find inaccessible, or give us general feedback at pantagw@wfu.edu.

The Matchup

Wake Forest will face its first top-10 and second ranked foe of the season on Saturday night when No. 7 Syracuse comes to Winston-Salem.
The Demon Deacons enter the match with a 3-1-2 overall record with all three victories coming at Spry Stadium. Syracuse, meanwhile, is 3-0-2 on the year and continues to ride a 19-match unbeaten streak dating back to last October.
Each side is in search of its first ACC win of the 2023 campaign, as Wake Forest fell to current No. 17 Pitt 3-0 while Syracuse drew 2-2 with current No. 5 Louisville last weekend.
Earlier this week, the Demon Deacons knocked off previously unbeaten Gardner-Webb 4-0 while the Orange's midweek match with Siena was ruled a no contest in the 56th minute due to torrential downpours.
Wake Forest was picked to finish second in the ACC's Atlantic Division with Syracuse predicted to finish third.
Wake Forest is 5-3-2 all-time against Syracuse and 5-0-1 against the Orange at Spry Stadium.
The Demon Deacons' last matchup against the Orange in Winston-Salem came on Oct. 29, 2021, scoring a 2-0 victory highlighted by an eight-save effort from Trace Alphin that earned him ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors and a spectacular goal from a returning Babacar Niang.

Last Time Out

Wake Forest claimed its third win of the season on Tuesday night, taking down Gardner-Webb 4-0 at Spry Stadium.
Following a nearly 90-minute delayed start due to severe weather in the area, the Demon Deacons scored on their first attempt of the night as Jahlane Forbes registered his second goal of the season in the 14th minute.
The Deacs remained ahead at 1-0 at halftime, thanks in large part to two massive saves from Trace Alphin.
Shortly after the second half began, Roald Mitchell collected his fifth goal of the season. Through Tuesday's action, the Montclair, N.J., native is tied for ninth nationally in goals.
Wake Forest added two late goals with Leo Guarino scoring in the 84th minute before Jake Swallen hit on a penalty kick attempt in the 87th minute.
Alphin and Devin Armstrong combined for the team's second shutout of the season.

Continue To Make Spry Stadium Difficult On Opponents

With three victories in the team's first four appearances at Spry Stadium, Wake Forest is now an impressive 97-16-7 at home over the last nine years.
The 97 home victories are most in the country during that span, trailed by Indiana's 77 home victories and Kentucky's 75 home victories. In the ACC, only Clemson (73) and Virginia (71) join Wake Forest as conference programs with more than 70 home victories over the last nine seasons.
With an 83.7 percent winning percentage at home under head coach Bobby Muuss, Wake Forest also holds the ACC's best home winning percentage over the last nine years and ranks third nationally behind only Indiana (84.9) and New Hampshire (84.3).

Ranked Deacs vs. Ranked Opposition

Saturday's match will mark the second time this season Wake Forest has faced a ranked foe, as the Demon Deacons drew with then-No. 20 Maryland 0-0 on Sept. 1.
Including Syracuse who has been ranked throughout the top-10 this season, five of Wake Forest's eight ACC regular season opponents have already been ranked inside the top-10 of the United Soccer Coaches poll this season:
- Syracuse (Highest ranking of No. 1 in two polls)
- Pitt (Highest ranking of No. 5 in preseason poll)
- Louisville (Highest ranking of No. 5 in this week's poll)
- Clemson (Highest ranking of No. 9 in preseason poll)
- Notre Dame (Highest ranking of No. 10 in this week's poll)
Additionally in non-conference action, Maryland has been ranked this season and Cal, who the Deacs drew 1-1 on Matchday 2, has received votes.
Saturday's match will mark the 37th time Wake Forest has faced a top-10 opponent under head coach Bobby Muuss.

Scouting the Orange

Syracuse comes to Winston-Salem currently riding a 19-match unbeaten streak that included victories in the finals of last year's ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. The unbeaten stretch began with a 2-0 victory over Wake Forest on Oct. 7, 2022.
So far this season, the Orange have scored victories over Providence (2-0), Binghamton (3-0) and Albany (1-0) while tallying draws against ranked sides in then-No. 20 Penn State (1-1) and then-No. 7 Louisville (2-2).
Five different Syracuse players have scored this season, led by 2022 ACC All-Tournament Team selection Lorenzo Boselli's four goals. Jeorgio Kocevski's three assists leads the team as well.
Jason Smith has started four matches in goal this season, recording two clean sheets, while Jahiem Wickham started in the 1-0 victory over Albany and played more than 20 minutes against Penn State.

Looking Ahead

Wake Forest will continue its four-match homestand next Tuesday, hosting Liberty at Spry Stadium for the team's Mental Health Awareness Match. The Demon Deacons will wear special green jerseys with proceeds benefiting the Trinity Center. A Winston-Salem based organization, the Trinity Center is dedicated to meeting the needs of our community with the mission to improve lives by providing exceptional care with openness, hope and faith.
Bidding is open now for the jerseys and will conclude at midnight Tuesday.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

Wake Forest Hosting Defending National Champion Syracuse in Top-20 Spry Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Trace Alphin

Devin Armstrong

Jahlane Forbes

Leo Guarino

Roald Mitchell

Babacar Niang

Jake Swallen

Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest Hosting Defending National Champion Syracuse in Top-20 Spry Showdown

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Trace Alphin

Devin Armstrong

Jahlane Forbes

Leo Guarino

Roald Mitchell

Babacar Niang

Jake Swallen

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