Demon Deacons Earn Road Win at Bowling Green

Monday, August 31

Bowling Green, Ohio

6 p.m.

Wake Forest University

2-1-1, 0-0-0

Bowling Green

1-3-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Wake Forest	1	0	1
Bowling Green	0	0	0

8/31/2026 9:44:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score PDF Box Score Season Stats

Wake Forest uses Chandler Young's first goal of the season to defeat the Falcons, 1-0, and close Ohio road trip with a win.

By: Dylan Shackelford

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Behind a strong second-half defensive stand and a late first-half goal from Chandler Young, the Wake Forest men's soccer team defeated Bowling Green, 1-0, Monday night at Cochrane Stadium.

After a scoreless opening 42 minutes, the Demon Deacons (2-1-1) broke through in the 43rd minute as Young tallied his first goal of the season.

Mason Sullivan played a low-driven ball forward that Marcos Miranda redirected with a touch at the edge of the box and into the path of Young, who finished with ease to give the Demon Deacons a 1-0 advantage.

It marked Miranda's first assist at the NCAA Division I level and the first of Sullivan's career. Additionally, Sullivan was the lone outfield player to go the full 90 minutes as he did so for the third-consecutive match.

The goal was especially timely after Wake Forest controlled much of the opening half, recording seven shots and four corner kicks while limiting Bowling Green's chances.

The Demon Deacons' defense held firm throughout the second half as Bowling Green applied consistent pressure. The Falcons finished the night with 19 shots, including 14 after halftime, but redshirt junior goalkeeper Jonah Mednard turned aside all six shots he faced to preserve the shutout.

Mednard recorded his second clean sheet in three games and the fifth solo shutout of his career, bringing his career save total to 63. The clean sheet also marked Wake Forest's first on the road since a 0-0 draw at Duke on Oct. 12, 2024.

In front of Mednard, the starting backline of Daniel Krueger, Sullivan, Ronnie Garcia and Travis Smith Jr. did well to limit clear chances throughout the match, with second-half support from Will Kuisel, Copeland Berkley and Lorenze Currie.

The victory capped a two-match road swing through Ohio for the Demon Deacons. After battling No. 10 Akron to a scoreless draw for more than 83 minutes Friday before falling 1-0, Wake Forest responded with a road victory Monday to enter ACC play on a winning note.

The Demon Deacons finished with 12 shots, five shots on goal, five corner kicks and 53 percent possession, while Bowling Green recorded 19 shots, six shots on goal and six corners.

The win also gives Wake Forest its first non-conference road victory since defeating UNCW, 4-1, on Oct. 15, 2024.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Demon Deacons controlled the opening half, putting seven shots toward goal while earning four corner kicks and eventually breaking through just before halftime.
Sullivan sparked the breakthrough with a low-driven ball forward that Miranda redirected with a touch at the edge of the box and into the path of Young, who finished with ease to give the Demon Deacons a 1-0 advantage.
Bowling Green came out aggressively after halftime, generating 14 second-half shots, but Mednard and the Wake Forest defense repeatedly turned the Falcons away.
- The Wake Forest keeper made four saves after the break, including tough stops on Lucas Brinkman and Luciano Perez-Cernuda, to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard.
The Demon Deacons continued to create chances of their own late, with Young, Kuisel and Reid each recording second-half attempts.
Wake Forest held Bowling Green weathered the pressure for the final 45 minutes to secure its first non-conference road win since 2024 and close the Ohio road swing with a victory.

MAN OF THE MATCH – Jonah Mednard
Mednard delivered a six-save shutout, including four saves in the second half, to preserve Wake Forest's 1-0 advantage and secure his fifth career solo shutout. He joins captain Jeffrey White and David Nguema (2x) in earning the honors this season.

FROM COACH MUUSS
"I'm proud of the guys. We played after a really hard-fought, devastating loss at Akron, and they put everything into recovery, listening to the details and knowing we were coming into a Bowling Green team that was exceptional on set pieces. I think we defended 20 long throw-ins, six corners and there was a lot of pressure from set pieces. I give our guys a lot of credit for continuing to fight. I've said it in the last couple interviews: the guys just keep fighting, and we're getting closer and closer. I'm so proud that we got a clean sheet.

"We came here knowing it was going to be a difficult game. I've known Eric Nichols for a long time. Our guys were against it in a couple of different ways. Bowling Green is a good, direct team that is exceptional on restarts, but we also had to deal with a field that, in my opinion, and I'm not being disrespectful at all, is not in the condition for high-level Division I soccer right now. Coach Nichols and I have spoken about it. This is too good of a coach and too good of a program for the field to be like this right now.

"I'm proud of the way the guys responded. We had to change the way we played a little bit, but when we listen and these guys are bought in, a lot of good things can happen. I'm really proud of them."

UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons return home Saturday, Sept. 5, when they welcome Duke to Spry Stadium for the first ACC match of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the match set to stream live on ACCNX.