Demon Deacons Cruise Past USC Upstate

Tuesday, September 8

Winston-Salem, N.C.

7 p.m.

Wake Forest University

4-1-1, 1-0-0

USC Upstate

2-4-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
USC Upstate	0	0	0
Wake Forest	2	1	3

9/8/2026 10:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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A goal and an assist from Joel Torbic powered the Deacs to a third-consecutive victory.

By: Dylan Shackelford

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest men's soccer team continued its strong start to the 2026 campaign Tuesday night, earning a 3-0 victory over USC Upstate at Spry Stadium during the program's annual We Are Wake Green Match.

The Demon Deacons improved to 4-1-1 on the season, including an unbeaten 3-0-1 mark at home while recording their third clean sheet of the campaign. Wake Forest has now won three-consecutive matches, outscoring opponents 10-to-1 during that span and have now recorded three clean sheets on the season.

The win was the 120th at Spry since 2015 under the direction of head coach Bobby Muuss, a mark that leads the nation by 13 games. Additionally, Wake Forest has accumulated 163 total wins during that span, also an NCAA-best.

Wake Forest controlled the match from the opening whistle, finishing with an 18-to-6 advantage in shots, putting nine attempts on frame compared to five for the Spartans and holding 67 percent of possession.

Chandler Young opened the scoring in the 25th minute after Tate Lorentz won the ball off a USC Upstate defender and played it into the right side of the box for Joel Torbic, who cut the ball back into the middle for a one-time finish from Young. The goal marked Young's second of the season and the third of his career.

Just over 10 minutes later, junior Mason Sullivan doubled the advantage, sending a 30-yard free kick past the keeper and into the bottom-left corner.

Wake Forest added a third goal just under six minutes into the second half when the ball deflected into Torbic's path approximately 25 yards from goal. Torbic unleashed a perfect strike into the top-left corner to push the lead to 3-0.

Sullivan and Torbic have now scored in back-to-back games after they both found the back of the net in Saturday night's 6-1 victory over Duke. Torbic has been particularly productive over the last four days, recording two goals and two assists while averaging a goal contribution every 17.5 minutes of action.

For Sullivan, it was his third-consecutive game with a goal contribution as he logged an assist in the 1-0 road win over Bowling Green.

Torbic now sits tied with Jeffrey White for second on the team with six points, just one behind Lorentz, who moved into the team lead with seven points after his assist on the opening goal.

The victory also continued a strong defensive stretch for the Demon Deacons, as they have allowed just two goals over the last 515 minutes of action going back to the first half of the season opener.

In goal, Jonah Mednard made two saves across 73:56 before Quinn Syrett closed out the match with three stops in his collegiate debut.

JERSEY AUCTION
The team wore special green jerseys on Tuesday night in honor of mental health awareness and will be auctioned off in support of the Trinity Center.

A Winston-Salem based organization, the Trinity Center is dedicated to meeting the needs of our community with the mission to improve lives by providing exceptional care with openness, hope and faith.

The proceeds from the auction will support Trinity Center's Financial Aid program, which provides low-cost therapy for people who are uninsured and underinsured. Fans are able to bid until midnight tonight and can do so here.

MAN OF THE MATCH - JOEL TORBIC

Junior midfielder Joel Torbic registered a goal and an assist to help lead Wake Forest to its fourth win of the season.
His three points marked his second consecutive three-point performance after doing the same against Duke on Saturday night.
Torbic now has two goals and two assists for six points through six matches, matching Jeffrey White for second on the team, one point behind Lorentz.
For his career, he now sits on three goals and four assists for 10 points, the fourth-most by any active Demon Deacon while wearing the Old Gold & Black behind Lorentz (24), White (19) and Jose Perez (14).

ADDITIONAL NOTES

The Deacs improved to 120-21-17 at home under Bobby Muuss, extending the record for most home wins in the country since 2015.
Lorentz reached 24 career points at Wake Forest, moving to eight goals and eight assists in his Demon Deacon career.
Young recorded his third career goal and second of the 2026 season.
Sullivan's strike was his second of the season and the third of his career, as he's now had a goal contribution in three-consecutive matches.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wake Forest controlled 69 percent of possession in the opening half and held a 10-2 advantage in shots.
Chandler Young opened the scoring in the 25th minute, finishing Torbic's cutback after Lorentz helped progress the play into the box.
Sullivan doubled the lead in the 36th minute with a 30-yard free kick that found the bottom-left corner.
The Deacs carried a 2-0 advantage into halftime.
Torbic extended the lead to 3-0 in the 51st minute with a shot from approximately 25 yards that found the top-left corner.
Wake Forest continued to control the match throughout the second half, eventually finishing with an 18-6 advantage in shots and 9-5 edge in shots on goal.
Syrett recorded three saves after entering for Mednard in the 74th minute, preserving the clean sheet through the final whistle.

FROM COACH MUUSS
"I'm proud of the guys. One of the biggest things that comes after a big win at home is how they respond in a midweek game. It was our first midweek challenge and I think they passed the test with flying colors. We played every healthy player again, you don't get to do that in college soccer in back-to-back matches. I was really proud from the first minute to the last with how they were pushing it, I thought our counterpress was extremely good. We're going to have to be cleaner in the final third if we want to win big games down the stretch, but I'm proud of the way the guys performed today. It was a really good, complete performance."

UP NEXT
The Demon Deacons will return to ACC action Sunday, Sept. 13, traveling to face Virginia Tech at 6 p.m. Wake Forest will then return home Sept. 19 to host Virginia at Spry Stadium.