Sunday, December 1
Winston-Salem, N.C.
6 p.m.
Wake Forest University
vs
Clemson
Photo by: Wake Forest Athletics
No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 9 Clemson Meet at Spry For NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals Spot
11/30/2024 9:29:00 AM | Men's Soccer
The Demon Deacons will look to claim their 10th Elite Eight appearance over the last 19 seasons.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – For the third time this season, No. 8 seeded Wake Forest and No. 9 seeded Clemson will meet as the Demon Deacons and Tigers collide in the Round of 16 of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Sunday evening at Spry Stadium.
The matchup pits Wake Forest, who recently won the program's fourth ACC Championship, against Clemson, the defending National Champion.
Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Ticket Information
Secure your spot for the match in Winston-Salem now, as tickets are available for purchase here or by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 with reserved chairbacks at $15, bleacher general admission at $10.
Tickets on the Walt Chyzowych Alumni Hill are $5 and children three years old and under are free if they are sitting in their parent's lap.
Wake Forest faculty and staff do not receive complimentary admission and will need to purchase tickets for postseason action at Spry.
The Matchup
The Captain Comes Up Clutch
The matchup pits Wake Forest, who recently won the program's fourth ACC Championship, against Clemson, the defending National Champion.
Kick-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Ticket Information
Secure your spot for the match in Winston-Salem now, as tickets are available for purchase here or by calling the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 with reserved chairbacks at $15, bleacher general admission at $10.
Tickets on the Walt Chyzowych Alumni Hill are $5 and children three years old and under are free if they are sitting in their parent's lap.
Wake Forest faculty and staff do not receive complimentary admission and will need to purchase tickets for postseason action at Spry.
The Matchup
- Just 14 days after the two historic programs faced off in an instant classic in the ACC Tournament final, Wake Forest and Clemson will share the pitch at Spry Stadium.
- Wake Forest enters the contest with an 11-4-7 overall record following a 2-1 victory over Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- Since falling to Clemson 1-0 at Historic Riggs Field on Sept. 20, Wake Forest is 9-1-4 in its last 14 appearances.
- Clemson, meanwhile, logged a 2-0 victory over Providence in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as the Tigers outshot the Friars 17-2.
- With an overall record of 15-2-4, Clemson is tied for the nationally led in total victories this season alongside No. 1 Ohio State and San Diego.
- This will mark just the second all-time meeting between the two sides in NCAA Tournament action with the previous showdown taking place on Nov. 30, 2002.
- Facing off with old ACC foe and four-time National Champion Maryland, Wake Forest battled through a physical contest to score a 2-1 victory over the Terrapins.
- After heavily dominating possession in the opening stages of the game, freshman Dylan Borso took a pass from graduate Prince Amponsah to strike in the 12th minute.
- Maryland, however, would equalize just before halftime with a 42nd-minute goal.
- In the second half, Wake Forest continued to create opportunities before freshman Joel Torbic placed a spectacular ball through Maryland's backline to find junior Cooper Flax for the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute.
- In total, 20 Demon Deacons contributed to the victory.
- The Demon Deacons are making their 14th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, as Wake Forest has the nation's second-longest streak and is one of only two programs nationally with a double-digit streak alongside Indiana.
- The 14-straight appearances are also eight more than any ACC program, as the conference earned a national-best nine berths in this year's NCAA Tournament.
- This marks the 12th straight season in which the ACC placed the most teams in the tournament and the 24th consecutive season that at least five league teams earned a bid.
- In total, Wake Forest has made 28 NCAA Tournament appearances in the program's 44-year existence and 23 times over the last 24 seasons.
- Including eight appearances under current head coach Bobby Muuss, the Demon Deacons have made 15 appearances in the Round of 16.
- Additionally, Wake Forest has earned six trips to the College Cup: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016 and 2019.
- Along with winning the 2007 NCAA Championship in a 2-1 comeback victory over Ohio State, the Demon Deacons also made the College Cup Final in 2016.
- Overall, Wake Forest is 38-23-10 in NCAA Tournament action and 17-9-0 under Muuss.
- For the fourth time in program history, the Wake Forest men's soccer team has been crowned ACC Champions, as the No. 5 seeded Demon Deacons completed a thrilling run to the title with a 1-1 (7-6 PKs) victory against No. 2 seeded Clemson.
- The 2024 squad joins the 1989, 2016 and 2017 teams in claiming ACC Championships, as the last three have come under the direction of 10th-year head coach Bobby Muuss.
- Since Muuss' hiring prior to the start of the 2015 season, the Demon Deacons have claimed a conference-best three ACC titles and won a league-high five divisional titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023) under the previous scheduling format.
- Additionally, Wake Forest over the last decade leads the country in total wins (151), home wins (110) and ACC regular season victories (56).
| Team | ACC Championships | Years Winning ACC |
| Wake Forest | 3 | 2016, 2017, 2024 |
| Clemson | 2 | 2020, 2023 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 2015 |
| Louisville | 1 | 2018 |
| Virginia | 1 | 2019 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 2021 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 2022 |
- Down the stretch for the Demon Deacons, junior captain Cooper Flax has been at his best.
- The Dix Hills, N.Y., native currently leads Wake Forest in points (19), goals (nine), shots (61) and shots on goal (26) while ranking second on the team in game-winning goals (two).
- Over Wake Forest's last eight matches in which the Deacs are 5-1-2, Flax has scored six goals including a pair of second half game-winning tallies against Virginia Tech and Maryland.
- Additionally, Wake Forest is 7-0-2 this season when Flax records either a goal or an assist.
- One of the highlights of Wake Forest's current six-match unbeaten stretch has been the play of the Deacs' freshman class.
- Offensively, five of the Deacs' 13 goals over this six-match span have either been scored by a freshman or logged the assist.
- Defensively, Amoni Thomas has played 395 minutes while Daniel Krueger has started 18 matches this season and returned from injury against Maryland to play the final 14 minutes.
- Additionally, when Wake claimed its fourth ACC Championship in program history in PKs against Clemson, four of the Deacs' seven converted attempts were by freshmen (Dylan Borso, Ryan Belal, Pariss Mitchell and Mason Sullivan).
- Clemson earned the No. 9 national seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, marking the 10th time in 11 seasons the Tigers have been seeded.
- Senior midfielder Joran Gerbet earned ACC Midfielder of the Year honors, as he has recorded seven goals and eight assists.
- Ransford Gyan was named ACC Freshman of the Year with 14 points (four goals, six assists) in his debut season for the Tigers.
- If Wake Forest is to advance, the Demon Deacons will face either No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus or host No. 16 Stanford at Spry next weekend pending the result of the Sweet Sixteen matchup between the Buckeyes and Cardinals.
Players Mentioned
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