“I’m just disappointed with our first-half performance and lack of details,” Head Coach Bobby Muuss said after suffering a 1-0 defeat at Clemson.
Despite a strong performance, Wake Forest Men’s Soccer (2-3-3, 0-1-1 ACC) was unable to overcome the wrath of the No. 4 Clemson Tigers (4-2-1, 2-1-0 ACC).
This was the Demon Deacons’ second match against a top-ten-ranked opponent this past week, this time on the road at Historic Riggs Field. This was the Demon Deacons’ second Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match of the season and turned out to be one of their most challenging games so far.
The first-half statistics favored the Tigers, as they led total shots nine to four and corner kicks two to one. They forced a total of five saves from Wake Forest senior goalkeeper Trace Alphin.
In the 12th minute, the Tigers attacked down the Wake Forest right side, dribbling past defenders and firing a shot that would strike the inside of the post, and then cleared away. Just a minute later, the Tigers worked their way through the Wake Forest defense again, this time forcing a leg save from Alphin.
Alphin was called into action once more in the 23rd minute, as the Tigers’ first attempt was blocked, and their follow-up shot required a diving save. The Demon Deacons started to show some fight as the half went on and worked a decent shot from outside of the box for junior Cooper Flax.
Early in the second half, senior midfielder Ryan Fessler attempted a tackle inside of the box, but was called for a foul and conceded a penalty kick to the Tigers. Unfortunately for the Demon Deacons, Alphin was sent the wrong way, and the Tigers converted the penalty kick, taking a 1-0 lead.
“We’ve got to do a better job defensively than what we did in that situation,” Muuss said. “… We just had unforced turnovers, silly decisions and kept stepping in defensively.”
Wake Forest responded well to the setback, creating a great chance for Cooper Flax to score, who saw his powerful effort saved in the bottom left-hand corner. It was a good counter attack from the Demon Deacons.
The Tigers responded with some pressure of their own and forced another diving save from Alphin. His fingertip save pushed the ball onto the post, and it bounced away to be cleared by the Wake Forest defense.
Despite a stronger second-half effort, it would not be enough for the Demon Deacons. This defeat keeps Wake Forest on one point in ACC play, tied for last place in the standings.
Although disappointed with the defeat, Muuss applauded his team, saying “I think we settled down at halftime. I’m happy with the effort in the second half.”
Next up for Wake Forest Men’s Soccer is Syracuse, another team that has gotten off to a slow start in ACC play. The match in New York is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday evening.
