Wake Forest Set for Road Test Against No. 10 Akron

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After opening the season unbeaten at home, the Wake Forest men's soccer team hits the road for the first time in 2026 on Friday, facing a top-10 Akron squad at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. as the Demon Deacons look to secure their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2022.

The Deacs make the trip to Ohio following an impressive opening week at Spry Stadium. Bobby Muuss' men opened the season with an electric 4-2 victory over San Francisco on Thursday before a draw with VCU on Sunday.

Friday night's matchup against the Zips will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available here throughout the match.

MATCHUP NOTES

Friday marks the 10th all-time meeting between Wake Forest and Akron and the first matchup between the two programs since the 2018 NCAA Round of 16.
- The all-time series is tied, 4-4-1, entering Friday night and Wake Forest is 1-2-1 on the road against Akron.
In 2015, Bobby Muuss' first season in charge, the Demon Deacons defeated then-No. 6 Akron, 2-1, in Ohio.
- The 2015 meeting marked the last regular-season matchup between Wake Forest and Akron and the lone win on the road for the Deacs against the Zips.
The series dates back to Sept. 5, 1981, the second season of Wake Forest's men's soccer program.
- The Zips won that inaugural meeting, 5-3, in Ohio.
Wake Forest also earned a victory over Akron at Spry Stadium on Sept. 7, 2007, when the Deacs posted a 3-1 win en route to the program's first national championship.
Overall, Muuss is 4-1-1 against current members of the Big East with the 2015 Akron win marking the only road trip to date.
- Additionally, Wake Forest is 12-5-5 all-time against current members of the conference, including a 3-2-3 record on the road.

Muuss vs. Current Members of the Big East (4-1-1, 1-0-0 Away)

Opponent	Date	Location	Result	Score
St. John's	August 31, 2025	Winston-Salem	Draw	0-0
Creighton	September 1, 2019	Winston-Salem	Win	1-0
Akron	November 25, 2018	Winston-Salem	Loss	0-1
Butler	November 26, 2017	Winston-Salem	Win	2-0
Providence	August 27, 2017	Winston-Salem	Win	4-1
Akron	September 22, 2015	Akron, Ohio	Win	2-1

DEACS VS. THE TOP 10

With the Zips clocking in at No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, Wake Forest has a chance to earn its first top-10 victory since it defeated No. 9 Louisville at home on Oct. 28, 2022 by a score of 3-0.
- No members of the current squad appeared in that match.
The last road win over a top 10 team was also in 2022, when the No. 1 Demon Deacons thrashed No. 10 Clemson, 6-1 at Historic Riggs Field on Sept. 24.
- This match also marked the last ranked victory for Wake Forest on the road.
The Deacs are 22-15-7 against top-10 opponents under Muuss, including a 5-6-3 record on the road.
- Overall he has compiled a 47-24-15 record against ranked opponents since 2015, including an 11-9-9 mark on the road.

Wake Forest Road Wins vs. Ranked Opponents Since 2015 (Top 10 in bold)

2015: at No. 6 Akron - W, 2-1 (Sept. 22)
2015: at No. 22 Boston College - W, 5-0 (Oct. 2)
2016: at No. 21 South Carolina - W, 1-0 (Oct. 18)
2017: at No. 8 Louisville - W, 3-1 (Sept. 9)
2017: at No. 4 North Carolina - W, 2-1 (Oct. 6)
2018: at No. 16 Virginia Tech - W, 2-1 (Sept. 14)
2018: at No. 6 Virginia - W, 3-2 (Oct. 20)
2019: at No. 20 NC State - W, 3-1 (Oct. 11)
2021: at No. 14 FIU - W, 3-2 (Nov. 21)
2022: at No. 10 Clemson - W, 6-1 (Sept. 24)

SCOUTING THE ZIPS

Akron enters Friday's match ranked No. 6 by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
- It also received 11 of 12 possible first-place votes and 66 points in the preseason coaches' poll, finishing ahead of Creighton (56) and Xavier (43).
The Zips are 1-0-1 after opening the season with a 3-0 victory over Dayton before playing Army to a scoreless draw Monday night.
- Akron received goals from Remi Agunbiade, Londen Sears and Jack Sullivan in its season-opening win over Dayton.
The Zips have posted back-to-back clean sheets to begin the season, with Brett Kaminski earning both shutouts in his first season as Akron's starting goalkeeper.
Akron finished 13-5-3 in 2025 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals before falling 3-2 to Saint Louis.
2026 preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Agunbiade scored seven goals and added two assists across 20 appearances, including 16 starts, last season.
- He was selected No. 58 overall by San Diego FC in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week twice
Senior midfielder Matt Dreas also earned preseason All-BIG EAST honors after starting all 21 matches in 2025.
- A second-team All-East Region and second-team All-BIG EAST selection, Dreas helped lead an Akron midfield that limited opponents to 0.71 goals per game last season.

STARTED OFF WITH A BANG

Wake Forest opened the 2026 season with a 4-2 victory over San Francisco on Thursday night at Spry Stadium.
Senior captain Jeffrey White scored twice for the first multi-goal performance of his career, including the equalizing goal in the 21st minute and the insurance goal in the 77th.
Senior midfielder Jose Perez added a goal from the penalty spot and an assist, marking the first multi-goal contribution game of his career.
Freshman Philip Biskupski scored the first goal of his collegiate career in the 58th minute, while fellow newcomer Ronnie Garcia recorded his first collegiate assist on a perfectly weighted ball into the box.
Eight Demon Deacons made their Wake Forest debuts, including Biskupski, Garcia, Joby Reid, Luke Kirilenko, Marcos Miranda, Henry Rosenfeld, Oliver Kurnik and Will Kuisel.
Wake Forest controlled 61 percent of possession and held advantages in shots (18-14) and corner kicks (6-4).
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jonah Mednard made four saves, including three in the second half, to help the Deacs hold San Francisco scoreless over the final 64 minutes.
The four goals marked Wake Forest's most in a season opener since a 5-1 victory over Rutgers in 2017.

BATTLE TESTED DEACS

Of the 15 teams remaining on the 2026 schedule, six are currently ranked in either the United Soccer Coaches or TopDrawerSoccer top 25 polls.

2026 Wake Forest Opponents Ranked in the Top 25

Team	TDS Rank	USC Rank	Date	Location
Clemson	#3	#16	Oct. 30	Clemson, S.C.
Akron	#6	#10	Aug. 28	Akron, Ohio
NC State	#12	#20	Sept. 25	Raleigh, N.C.
SMU	#15	#5	Oct. 2	Winston-Salem, N.C.
Duke	#16	#19	Sept. 5	Winston-Salem, N.C.
Virginia	#25	RV	Sept. 19	Winston-Salem, N.C.

LOOKING AHEAD
Wake Forest will stay in Ohio following its match against Akron as it prepares to take on Bowling Green on Monday, Aug. 31.

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Players Mentioned

Philip Biskupski

Ronnie Garcia

Luke Kirilenko

Will Kuisel

Oliver Kurnik

Jonah Mednard

Marcos Miranda

Jose Perez

Joby Reid

Henry Rosenfeld

Jeffrey White

Wake Forest Athletics