Tuesday, September 17
Winston-Salem, N.C.
6 p.m.
Wake Forest University
2-2-3, 0-0-1
1
vs
1
Elon
6-0-1, 2-0-0
1
2
F
Elon
1
0
1
Wake Forest
0
1
1
Demon Deacons Collect Point in 1-1 Draw with No. 10 Elon
9/17/2024 8:50:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Wake Forest earned a second draw on the season against a ranked opponent.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Wake Forest men's soccer team (2-2-3, 0-0-1 ACC) overcame an early eight-minute goal to draw 1-1 with No. 10 Elon (6-0-1, 1-0-0 CAA) on Tuesday night at Spry Stadium, as senior Babacar Niang registered the match-tying goal in the 80th minute.
Throughout the evening, the Demon Deacons dominated play, holding significant advantages in shots (29 to nine), shots on goal (14 to two) and corner kicks (11 to 1).
Entering the night, Elon – which was one of three programs without a loss or draw on the season – had not allowed more than seven shots on goal in its first six matches of the season.
Niang's goal marked the fourth of his 2024 campaign, as junior Basit Umar and freshman Amoni Thomas picked up their first assists of the season.
The match served as the Deacs' annual Mental Health Awareness Match, as the team wore special green Nike jerseys, with proceeds going to the Mariam Niang Memorial Scholarship housed with the Crosby Scholars.
The scholarship is awarded to a Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools senior who completes an essay on one of three prompts pertaining to mental health wellness and awareness.
Bidding on the jerseys is open and runs through the end of day.
Wake Forest will resume ACC play on Friday evening, facing No. 4 Clemson at Historic Riggs Field.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the match will air nationally on the ACC Network.
The Spry Homefield Advantage
With Tuesday night's draw, Wake Forest sports an impressive 18-1-2 record against non-conference opponents in regular season action dating back to a 4-0 victory over William & Mary on Oct. 5, 2021.
During this 21-match stretch, the Demon Deacons and have outscored opponents by a +48 margin:
A consistent face in the Starting XI for the Demon Deacons over the last four seasons, senior goalkeeper Trace Alphin cracked the top-five in minutes played by a goalkeeper in program history on Tuesday night.
Alphin has played every minute in goal for the Deacs in 2024.
Career Minute Leaders: Goalkeepers
"If you take out the goal in transition, where we turn the ball over, it was a pretty good performance. Obviously, the goal was catastrophic, and I think from a coach's perspective, if you take out that 30 seconds, it was a pretty good performance. I think Wake Forest needs to get a little bit more respect than what we are getting right now. Obviously, we got to win games. But, that's going to be a 75-25 possession game where we generate 29 shots against a team that's number 10 in the country and 6-0. We had 11 corners to their one, and their goalkeeper made 14 saves. We've got to do better in front of goal, but each week we're getting better. For the fifth-straight game we're playing against a deep block of 10 guys, but we keep finding a way. We've got to stop leaking goals if we want to be the team that we are capable of being."
Up Next
Wake Forest will renew its long standing rivalry with Clemson on Friday night, facing the Tigers as Historic Riggs Field.
Kick-off for the match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will air nationally on the ACC Network.
Throughout the evening, the Demon Deacons dominated play, holding significant advantages in shots (29 to nine), shots on goal (14 to two) and corner kicks (11 to 1).
Entering the night, Elon – which was one of three programs without a loss or draw on the season – had not allowed more than seven shots on goal in its first six matches of the season.
Niang's goal marked the fourth of his 2024 campaign, as junior Basit Umar and freshman Amoni Thomas picked up their first assists of the season.
The match served as the Deacs' annual Mental Health Awareness Match, as the team wore special green Nike jerseys, with proceeds going to the Mariam Niang Memorial Scholarship housed with the Crosby Scholars.
The scholarship is awarded to a Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools senior who completes an essay on one of three prompts pertaining to mental health wellness and awareness.
Bidding on the jerseys is open and runs through the end of day.
Wake Forest will resume ACC play on Friday evening, facing No. 4 Clemson at Historic Riggs Field.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the match will air nationally on the ACC Network.
The Spry Homefield Advantage
With Tuesday night's draw, Wake Forest sports an impressive 18-1-2 record against non-conference opponents in regular season action dating back to a 4-0 victory over William & Mary on Oct. 5, 2021.
During this 21-match stretch, the Demon Deacons and have outscored opponents by a +48 margin:
- Wake Forest 1, No. 10 Elon 1 (Sept. 17, 2024)
- Wake Forest 1, Radford 0 (Sept. 9, 2024)
- Wake Forest 3, Central Arkansas 2 (Aug. 25, 2024)
- Wake Forest 1, VCU 2 (Aug. 22, 2024)
- Wake Forest 5, Robert Morris 1 (Oct. 17, 2023)
- Wake Forest 2, Wofford 0 (Oct. 10, 2023)
- Wake Forest 3, Liberty 1 (Sept. 19, 2023)
- Wake Forest 4, Gardner-Webb 0 (Sept. 12, 2023)
- Wake Forest 5, Furman 1 (Sept. 4, 2023)
- Wake Forest 1, Cal 1 (Aug. 27, 2023)
- Wake Forest 3, Grand Canyon 1 (Aug. 24, 2023)
- Wake Forest 3, Wofford 0 (Oct. 18, 2022)
- Wake Forest 1, Jacksonville 0 (Oct. 4, 2022)
- Wake Forest 6, George Mason 1 (Sept. 20, 2022)
- Wake Forest 3, FDU 2 (Sept. 13, 2022)
- Wake Forest 5, Winthrop 1 (Sept. 6, 2024)
- Wake Forest 2, Air Force 1 (Aug. 28, 2024)
- Wake Forest 1, UCF 0 (Aug. 25, 2022)
- Wake Forest 7, Loyola University Maryland 0 (Oct. 19, 2021)
- Wake Forest 3, George Washington 0 (Oct. 12, 2021)
- Wake Forest 4, William & Mary 0 (Oct. 5, 2021)
A consistent face in the Starting XI for the Demon Deacons over the last four seasons, senior goalkeeper Trace Alphin cracked the top-five in minutes played by a goalkeeper in program history on Tuesday night.
Alphin has played every minute in goal for the Deacs in 2024.
Career Minute Leaders: Goalkeepers
- Brian Edwards (2004-07): 8,611 minutes
- Akira Fitzgerald (2007-10): 6,296 minutes
- Alec Ferrell (2012-16): 5,876 minutes
- Trace Alphin (2021-24): 5,496 minutes
- Sean Connor (1996-99): 5,479 minutes
- Wake Forest collected the first shot of the night following a heavy amount of possession in the opening minutes, but Elon would take a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute.
- Following a Phoenix foul just outside of the 18, junior Cooper Flax let off a dangerous free kick attempt in the 18th minute that was saved by the fingertips of Elon's keeper.
- Senior Babacar Niang also nearly found an equalizer in the 22nd minute, as a forward pass found the Dakar, Senegal, native who had his shot stopped by another diving save.
- In the 43rd minute, senior Trace Alphin recorded his first save of the night while graduate Cristian Escribano blocked a follow-up.
- The Demon Deacons finished the first half with 10 shots (five on goal) and 64 percent of the possession.
- Pushing early in the second, Wake Forest earned three corner kicks in a 39-second span with the third finding freshman Ryan Belal who headed an attempt that was corralled.
- The combination of sophomore Jose Perez and Flax almost netted the first Wake Forest goal of the night in the 72nd, as Perez lightly chipped a ball to Flax's feet but his shot was saved.
- Wake Forest would tie the match in the 80th minute, as the Deacs pushed through Elon's backline before junior Basit Umar crossed a ball to Niang who buried his fourth goal of the season.
- The goal marks Niang's fourth of the 2024 campaign, matching his career high from his All-ACC season from 2022.
- The assist was Umar's first as a Demon Deacon and the fifth of his career.
- Freshman Amoni Thomas also registered his first career assist on the goal.
- The Deacs tallied three more shots in the closing five minutes in an effort to win the match, but the final whistle blew on a 1-1 decision.
- Graduate Cristian Escribano earned his 50th career start.
- Sophomore Jeffrey White earned his fifth career start.
- Graduate Sidney Paris made his 60th career appearance.
- Senior Babacar Niang made his 45th career appearance.
- With the result, Wake Forest's advantage in the all-time series against Elon is 9-4-2.
"If you take out the goal in transition, where we turn the ball over, it was a pretty good performance. Obviously, the goal was catastrophic, and I think from a coach's perspective, if you take out that 30 seconds, it was a pretty good performance. I think Wake Forest needs to get a little bit more respect than what we are getting right now. Obviously, we got to win games. But, that's going to be a 75-25 possession game where we generate 29 shots against a team that's number 10 in the country and 6-0. We had 11 corners to their one, and their goalkeeper made 14 saves. We've got to do better in front of goal, but each week we're getting better. For the fifth-straight game we're playing against a deep block of 10 guys, but we keep finding a way. We've got to stop leaking goals if we want to be the team that we are capable of being."
Up Next
Wake Forest will renew its long standing rivalry with Clemson on Friday night, facing the Tigers as Historic Riggs Field.
Kick-off for the match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will air nationally on the ACC Network.
Team Stats
ELO
WFU
Goals
1
1
Shots
9
29
Shots on Goal
2
14
Saves
13
1
Corners
1
11
Fouls
14
11
Scoring Plays
Colin Veltri (6)
GOAL by ELO Veltri, Colin.
07:00
Babacar Niang (4)
Assisted By: Basit Umar , Amoni Thomas
GOAL by WFU Niang, Babacar Assist by Umar, Basit and Thomas, Amoni.
79:47
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
7
SOG
4
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Men's Soccer
Forward
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Defender
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Midfielder
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Midfielder
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Midfielder
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Midfielder
/ Men's SoccerDefender
/ Men's SoccerMidfielder
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Midfielder
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