“That was a great team win for this group,” Head Coach Bobby Muuss said following the Demon Deacons’ comeback win in Syracuse, N.Y. 

Wake Forest Men’s Soccer (3-3-3, 1-1-1 ACC) was looking to bounce back after the defeat last week against Clemson, and had a tricky road test against Syracuse (3-4-3, 0-2-2 ACC).

“They worked so hard this week in preparation, and I thought they played their hearts out for 90 minutes at one of the toughest places to play in the ACC,” Muuss said. 

The Demon Deacons began the match on the front foot, with both senior Babacar Niang and junior Cooper Flax having good opportunities to score within the opening twelve minutes. 

Syracuse responded with a quick run down the right side, a good pass into the box and a one-on-one opportunity against senior goalkeeper Trace Alphin. The Wake Forest keeper stood his ground and made the save, keeping the game scoreless.

As the first half progressed, Niang would have another chance to score, but unfortunately, both of his shots were blocked by the Syracuse defense. 

Wake Forest would finish the first half with nine shots and six corners, but no goals. The offense was creating chances, but a similar story of not converting was holding the team back. 

Midway through the second half, Syracuse put in a good delivery on a corner, and the ball bounced around until it was finally put into the net. The goal came against the run of play, and the Demon Deacons had it all to do with 23 minutes remaining. 

The Wake Forest attack pressed on. The ball was played to the right side of the 18-yard box, which freshman Dylan Borso received, cut onto his left foot and rifled a shot into the bottom right corner.

Quickly after play resumed, sophomore Travis Smith Jr. played the ball into Borso, who beat his man and found junior Basit Umar for the winning goal. 

Umar took a composed first touch and guided his left-footed shot past the Syracuse goalkeeper. The Wake Forest defense would hold on and help secure the win. 

“The way they supported each other and followed the game plan was incredible,” Muuss said.  “Couldn’t be more proud of the group.” 

Despite going down, the team remained resilient. Once again they dominated the box score and this time were able to convert their chances down the stretch. 

This was a big win for the Demon Deacons, putting them on four points in ACC play and moving them up to seventh in the standings.