No. 1 Wake Forest Set for Road Test at Virginia

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In a rematch of the 2024 ACC semifinal that saw the Demon Deacons cruise to a 5-1 victory, the No. 1 Wake Forest men's soccer team will travel to Virginia for an ACC match on Friday at Klöckner Stadium.

The match against the Cavaliers is slated for 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACC Network with live stats available here.

Quick Notes

For the first time since Oct. 3, 2022, Wake Forest holds the No. 1 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Poll as well as the Top Drawer Soccer poll.
- It marks the 26th time under head coach Bobby Muss the Deacs have held the top spot.
The Demon Deacons are 69-23-18 in conference matches under Muuss since he took over in 2015.
The Demon Deacons head into the second road match of 2025 holding a respectable 37-17-11 away record under Muuss after drawing No. 21 North Carolina in Chapel Hill last Friday.
Wake Forest has recorded four clean sheets in the first seven matches this campaign with a starting backline of Cristian Escribano, Travis Smith, Jr., Mason Sullivan and Amoni Thomas.
- Goalkeeper Jonah Mednard holds a .800 save percentage and a .72 goals-against average for his career.
- Mednard's 20 saves this season rank second in the ACC.
Wake Forest will look to start unbeaten through eight matches for the third time under Muuss, with the previous two instances coming in 2018 (11) and 2022 (9).
Eight separate Demon Deacons have contributed to the 13 goals scored so far this season, with Tate Lorentz leading the way with three while Jose Perez and Jeffrey White have both bagged a couple.
- Of note, eight Deacs have tallied at least one assist this season with the Deacs' 15 on the year ranking third in the ACC.
Wake Forest was picked to finish second in the ACC preseason poll and held the most first-place votes (5).
Over the first seven games of the season, Wake Forest ranks fourth in the conference in shots (16.57) and shots on-goal (6.29) per game, while out-shooting opponents 116-74 (44-25 on-goal).

The Hometown Kid

Notching his first-career brace Tuesday night against UNCW, Tate Lorentz now leads the Demon Deacons in goals (four) and points (10).
He became the first Demon Deacon with a brace since Cooper Flax did so in the ACC semifinal last season against Virginia (Nov. 14).
He leveled the match in the 13th minute before firing the Deacs in front with a penalty he won in the 53rd.
The Winston-Salem native also added the assist on Jeffrey White's goal in the 63rd minute to put the Deacs up 3-1.
Lorentz is one of just 24 players nationally with 10 points already this season and one of just five to do so in the ACC.

Series History

This will mark the 65th meeting between the two programs with Virginia leading the all-time series, 40-15-9.
- Under head coach Bobby Muuss, the Deacs hold an even 4-4-2 record against the Cavaliers with a plus-five goal differential.
The two sides met twice in 2024, with the second coming in the ACC semifinals where the Demon Deacons thrashed the Cavaliers, 5-1, en route to the ACC Championship.
- Cooper Flax bagged a brace while fellow current Deacs Basit Umar and Joel Torbic each tallied a goal.
- The first meeting in 2024 was a 1-1 draw in the ACC opener at Spry Stadium.
Wake Forest will look to earn its first win in Charlottesville for the first time since Oct. 20, 2018.
- Overall, the Deacs are 8-12-1 on the road against the Cavaliers and have taken three of the last five.
The first-ever meeting came in 1980 in a 3-1 home defeat for the Demon Deacons.

Scouting the Cavaliers

Virginia enters the match with a 4-1-1 record (1-0-1 ACC), including a perfect 3-0-0 mark at home so far in 2025.
The Cavaliers began their ACC campaign with a 2-2 draw at No. 8 Virginia Tech before picking up their first conference win last Saturday at No. 6 Louisville, 1-0.
- After only registering one shot in the first half against the Cardinals, Virginia came out firing in the second half and found a winner from sophomore midfielder Luke Burns in the 73rd minute.
Last season, the squad went 11-7-3 overall and 3-3-2 in conference play before falling to the Deacs in the ACC semifinal.
- The Cavaliers earned their way into the NCAA tournament, where they defeated West Virginia in the second round, 2-1, and lost to UMass in the following match, 1-0.
Virginia was picked to finish ninth in the ACC Preseason Poll and senior midfielder Umberto Pela was selected as the Cavaliers' ACC Preseason Player to watch.
- Pela is one of two Virginia players with multiple goals so far this season.
The Cavaliers brought in 12 newcomers in 2025 with three transfers and nine freshmen.
- Freshman midfielder Nicholas Simmonds leads the team with five points on the year with two goals and an assist while starting all six games so far this season
Another crucial addition for the Cavaliers was graduate transfer goalkeeper Casper Mols from Kentucky.
- Mols has played all 540 minutes this season with four clean sheets and a 1.00 goals-against average.

Last Time Out (vs. UNCW)

Highlighted by a brace from junior Tate Lorentz, the No. 1 Wake Forest men's soccer team drew with in-state foe UNCW, 3-3, Tuesday evening at Spry Stadium.
After the Seahawks took an early lead in the first minute, the Demon Deacons responded in the 13th as Tate Lorentz controlled a great ball from Basit Umar into the box and slotted home the equalizer for his team-high third goal of the season.
Lorentz won a penalty in the 53rd minute and put the Deacs in front as he became the first Demon Deacon with a brace since Cooper Flax did so in the ACC semifinal last season against Virginia on Nov. 14.
The Demon Deacons added a third in the 63rd minute as beautiful team play set up junior Jeffrey White with a one-on-one against the keeper before firing it into the back of the net. Lorentz and Thomas picked up assists on the goal.
UNCW responded, however, with a goal in the 71st minute before being rewarded a 90th-minute penalty kick which would be converted.
Thomas, who recorded the first multi-assist game of his career, is now tied with Umar for the team lead with three assists on the year.
Since 2015, Muuss has led the Deacs to a stellar 94-16-10 record against non-conference opponents including a 4-0-2 mark this season. Additionally, Wake Forest is 108-17-11 during that time against unranked opposition.
The Demon Deacons are now unbeaten in their last 18 matches at Spry Stadium with wins in nine of the last 11. The Deacs hold a 13-0-5 home record dating back to Aug. 25 of last year.

Battle Tested

The Demon Deacons face one of the toughest schedules in the nation this season due to the strength of the ACC.
No. 1 Wake Forest has three opponents on the upcoming schedule that are currently ranked inside the top 15 in No. 3 Stanford, No.12 Louisville and No. 14 Clemson.
Of note, the ACC holds the top three spots in the top 10 of the United Soccer Coaches poll with six in the top 25.

National Leader In Wins

Named the fourth head coach in program history prior to the start of the 2015 season, Bobby Muuss' Demon Deacon squads have built on the longstanding and rich 45-year history of the program.
Since 2015, Wake Forest's 156 total wins ranks No. 1 nationally, six more than any program and 12 more than any other ACC program. During that span, Wake Forest is also joined only by Indiana as the only Division I programs to have won at least 10 matches every season.
Additionally, Wake Forest and Indiana are the only two programs of the 211 programs nationally to hold double-digit NCAA Tournament appearance streaks.
Wake Forest also leads the nation in wins over the last quarter-century (361).

Total Wins Since 2015

Rank	Team	Total Wins Since '15
1.	Wake Forest	156
2.	Indiana	150
3.	Clemson	144
4.	Georgetown	136
5.	Stanford	132

Consecutive Seasons With 10+ Victories

Rank	Team	Consecutive seasons with 10+ wins
1.	Wake Forest	13
2.	Indiana	11
3.	Georgetown	8
T4.	Clemson, Missouri State, Marshall	6
7.	Denver, Duke	4

Consistent Threat In The Toughest Conference In The Country

Recognized annually as the toughest soccer conference in the country from top to bottom, the ACC has placed the most teams in the NCAA Tournament each of the last 12 seasons and has had at least five teams earn a bid 24-straight seasons.
During the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the ACC earned nine bids including seven national seeds.
Wake Forest has received an NCAA Tournament bid 14-straight seasons, eight years more than any other ACC program.

Rank	Team	Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances
1.	Wake Forest	14
T2.	Clemson & Pitt	6
4.	North Carolina	5
5.	Duke	4
T6.	Virginia, Stanford & SMU	3

ACC Dominance

In addition to leading the nation in wins and home wins under head coach Bobby Muuss, the Demon Deacons have consistently been atop the nation's best conference with three ACC Championships and five divisional championships.
Wake Forest also leads the ACC in regular season conference wins since 2015.

ACC Regular Season Wins Since 2015

Rank	Team	Total ACC Wins Since '15
1.	Wake Forest	56
2.	Clemson	47
3.	North Carolina	45
4.	Virginia	39
5.	Duke	37

Looking Ahead

After Friday night's match, Wake Forest will return to non-conference action as it hosts Liberty at Spry Stadium on Monday, Sept. 21.
The match is slated for 7 p.m. and will serve as the WeAreWake Green Game for Mental Health Awareness.
The clash will be streamed live on ACCNX.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cristian Escribano

Cooper Flax

Tate Lorentz

Jonah Mednard

Jose Perez

Mason Sullivan

Amoni Thomas

Joel Torbic

Basit Umar

Jeffrey White

Wake Forest Athletics