Wake Forest Athletics
Oliver Kurnik Joins Wake Forest’s Roster for 2026
5/28/2026 12:24:00 PM | Men's Soccer
The midfielder arrives in Winston-Salem from Orange County SC.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's soccer program has announced the addition of midfielder Oliver Kurnik to the 2026 roster. Kurnik joins the Demon Deacons after spending the last two seasons with Orange County SC, where he trained with the USL club's first team on an academy contract.
A native of Fallbrook, Calif., Kurnik developed in the San Diego Surf ECNL and City SC MLS NEXT systems before earning opportunities with Orange County SC alongside former Wake Forest captains Garrison Tubbs and Nico Benalcazar.
"Oliver is a player we are really excited about bringing into the Wake Forest Soccer family," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "He has great vision, very good movement off the ball, and does an excellent job getting turned and playing forward. Coming to Wake after training full-time with USL Championship side Orange County SC alongside the likes of Garrison Tubbs and Nico Benalcazar, two players who could not speak more highly of him both on and off the field, gives us tremendous confidence in the type of young man and competitor we are bringing into our program."
Kurnik recently made his season debut off the bench in a 3-0 victory over Laguna United on March 18 in the opening round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
"Oliver is physically strong," Muuss continued. "He protects the ball well and is prepared for the demands of the college game. We believe he has tremendous upside, and I am excited to get him here and start working with him."
Away from the field, Kurnik graduated as the salutatorian of Oasis High School. He is the son of Barry and Elysian Kurnik and has one sister, Naiya. Athletic success runs in the family, as his father played Division I basketball at Pepperdine while his sister currently competes at Colorado College.
Kurnik becomes the latest addition to Wake Forest's top-10 recruiting class as the Demon Deacons continue preparations for the 2026 season.
Wake Forest's 2026 Signing Class
A native of Fallbrook, Calif., Kurnik developed in the San Diego Surf ECNL and City SC MLS NEXT systems before earning opportunities with Orange County SC alongside former Wake Forest captains Garrison Tubbs and Nico Benalcazar.
"Oliver is a player we are really excited about bringing into the Wake Forest Soccer family," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "He has great vision, very good movement off the ball, and does an excellent job getting turned and playing forward. Coming to Wake after training full-time with USL Championship side Orange County SC alongside the likes of Garrison Tubbs and Nico Benalcazar, two players who could not speak more highly of him both on and off the field, gives us tremendous confidence in the type of young man and competitor we are bringing into our program."
Kurnik recently made his season debut off the bench in a 3-0 victory over Laguna United on March 18 in the opening round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
"Oliver is physically strong," Muuss continued. "He protects the ball well and is prepared for the demands of the college game. We believe he has tremendous upside, and I am excited to get him here and start working with him."
Away from the field, Kurnik graduated as the salutatorian of Oasis High School. He is the son of Barry and Elysian Kurnik and has one sister, Naiya. Athletic success runs in the family, as his father played Division I basketball at Pepperdine while his sister currently competes at Colorado College.
Kurnik becomes the latest addition to Wake Forest's top-10 recruiting class as the Demon Deacons continue preparations for the 2026 season.
Wake Forest's 2026 Signing Class
- Henry Rosenfeld
- Nolan Tinsley
- William Kuisel
- Joby Reid
- Marcos Miranda
- Amin Ibrahim
- Graham "Quinn" Syrett
- Luke Kirilenko
- Rooney Osei
- Oliver Kurnik
Players Mentioned
Midfielder
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Defender
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