Wake Forest (5-3-4, 2-1-1 ACC) made a trip to Durham, N.C. on Saturday Oct. 12 to play an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match against No. 16 Duke (2-1-2 ACC).
“The guys fought today. There was a spirit that any [Demon Deacon] fan should be proud of tonight,” Head Coach Bobby Muuss said of the hard fought 0-0 draw between the Demon Deacons and Blue Devils.
It was a gritty match between two members of the Big Four. Despite earning a point against a ranked opponent, Muuss was not satisfied following the match, saying “I am disappointed, because we need three points.”
However, he was thrilled with the defense, applauding a “clean sheet against a team that’s averaging almost four goals a game.”
This was also a fourth clean sheet in a row for the Demon Deacons, and they have won two and drawn two during that span. This was the second scoreless draw in a row for Wake Forest, so while the defense has been fantastic, the offense has failed to find the net.
Wake Forest had a huge chance to open the scoring in the first half, when freshman Dylan Borso was brought down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Demon Deacons. Junior Cooper Flax stepped up to take the kick, and with a brief stutter step and shot he went low to the goalkeeper’s right, but a strong hand was there to make the save and keep the score level.
The Demon Deacons had another good chance in the 77th minute, when freshman defender Amoni Thomas received a clever pass from Flax, but the keeper made a nice save to deny him.
“I think we had some really good chances,” Muuss said about his team’s offensive performance. “Their goalkeeper obviously makes some big-time saves.” Wake Forest registered 12 shots, with just five finding the target.
Wake Forest failed to score for the fourth time this season, and the second time in less than a week. While not a cause for serious concern, the Demon Deacons will want to be in rampant scoring form over the next few weeks and heading into the ACC tournament.
In regards to the backline, a standout performer for Wake Forest was senior goalkeeper Trace Alphin. He was called into action four times, three of his saves coming in the second half. Alphin faced a shot from inside the box in the 61st minute, but his quick reflexes allowed him to spread his right foot out to make the block.
In the dying moments of the match, the ball found its way to a Duke forward at the top of the box, and the ensuing shot forced a miraculous diving save from Alphin.
Coach Muuss applauded Alphin’s heroics, saying, “[Alphin] made some big-time saves and a big-time save at the end.”
Overall, it was a positive result for Wake Forest.
“I think it was an exciting college soccer game, and either team could have won that game,” Coach Muuss concluded.
Wake Forest still sits behind Duke and four points back of first place Pitt in the ACC standings. The Demon Deacons will wrap up non conference play in Wilmington, N.C. on Tuesday evening against University of North Carolina Wilmington. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
