Demon Deacons Battle VCU in Scoreless Draw

Sunday, August 23

Winston-Salem, N.C.

7 p.m.

Wake Forest University

1-0-1, 0-0-0

VCU

0-1-1, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
VCU	0	0	0
Wake Forest	0	0	0

8/23/2026 10:23:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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Wake Forest controlled the contest throughout, but was unable to find the breakthrough.

By: Dylan Shackelford

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Despite controlling the ball for much of the night and creating numerous scoring chances over the 90 minutes, the Wake Forest men's soccer team played VCU to a scoreless draw Sunday night at Spry Stadium.

The Demon Deacons (1-0-1) finished the night with a commanding 19-to-5 advantage in shots, including a 5-to-1 edge in shots on goal, while earning 12 corner kicks compared to just one for the Rams. Wake Forest also controlled 67 percent of possession over the 90 minutes.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jonah Mednard recorded his first clean sheet of the 2026 season, and the fourth solo shutout of his career, with a starting backline of Daniel Krueger, Mason Sullivan, Ronnie Garcia and Copeland Berkley in front of him. Of note, it marked Berkley's first collegiate start and Garcia's first in the Old Gold & Black.

Centerbacks Krueger and Sullivan were the only two outfield players that went the full 90 and both played a major role in limiting the visitors to just one shot on goal.

Meanwhile, sophomore midfielder David Nguema once again bossed the midfield for 68 minutes and earned the first "Man of the Match" honor of his career. The Houston native did it all for Wake Forest in the second half and kept the Deacs in control of the match.

In his collegiate debut, freshman Rooney Osei also impressed in the midfield with 34 minutes off the bench.

In the first half, the Deacs held VCU to just one shot while the hosts registered nine shots and eight corners before the halftime whistle, but Monteiro made four saves to keep the match scoreless.

Wake Forest continued to apply pressure after halftime, with Osei forcing Monteiro into a difficult save from distance in the 51st minute. The Rams' goalkeeper also turned away several other Demon Deacon opportunities as Wake Forest continued to generate chances in the attacking third.

The Demon Deacons continued to push for the winner in the closing minutes, with Daniel Krueger, Ethan Subachan and Pariss Mitchell each recording a shot during the final 120 seconds, but neither side could find the breakthrough.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wake Forest dominated possession and controlled the opening stages of the match, holding 83 percent of the ball during the first 15 minutes of the contest.
Joby Reid nearly opened the scoring in the 10th minute, getting his head on a cross from Ronnie Garcia and forcing Monteiro into a diving save.
Through the opening 20 minutes, Wake Forest held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks and a 3-0 edge in shots while still controlling 80 percent of possession.
The Demon Deacons continued to control the match through the remainder of the opening half, holding VCU without a shot for the first 30 minutes of action.
Wake Forest finished the first 45 with nine shots and eight corner kicks while limiting the Rams to one shot.
Rooney Osei nearly broke the deadlock early in the second half, forcing Monteiro into another difficult save with a powerful shot from distance in the 51st minute before Wake Forest earned a corner.
The Deacs continued to pressure the Rams throughout the second half, adding 10 more shots and four corner kicks.
Wake Forest continued to push for the game-winner in the final minutes, but shots from Daniel Krueger, Ethan Subachan and Pariss Mitchell were unable to find the back of the net.
The Demon Deacons finished with a 19-5 advantage in shots, a 12-1 edge in corner kicks and 67 percent possession, but the two sides settled for a scoreless draw.

FROM COACH MUUSS
"I thought that was a really good Wake Forest performance from start to finish. Maybe there was about a five-minute lull in the first half, but we played against a VCU team that was super compact and sat really, really deep. It's hard to break down 10 guys on top of the 18-yard box. They were looking for transitional opportunities, slowing the game down, taking their time on restarts and goal kicks. I love hearing stuff like 'Well, it's the beginning of the year, we've got guys out hurt' and all that stuff. We have three or four guys we're looking forward to getting back as well that would make us much better.

I thought we were on the front foot from the first minute to the 90th minute and we missed a chance right at the end of the game. The result is not what we wanted, but at the same time, I do think it's a performance that we can build off of. We had 19 shots and 12 corners, we've got to do a better job on that."

UP NEXT
Wake Forest will now hit the road for the first time in 2026 as it travels to Ohio for battles against No. 12 Akron on Friday, Aug. 28, and Bowling Green on Monday, Aug. 31.