The NC State men’s soccer team fell to No. 1 Wake Forest 2-0 on Sunday afternoon in the ACC men’s quarterfinal match.
The Demon Deacons (17-1, 7-1 ACC) jumped all over the Pack (9-6-3, 2-4-2 ACC) early, scoring both their goals in the first 20 minutes. The Pack took 10 shots but Wake Forest saved four of those on goal.
During the 13th minute, the Deacons scored their first goal when Machop Chol dribbled around a defender and crossed it to Omir Fernandez for his 11th goal of the season.
The Demon Deacons continued to put the pressure on NC State’s defense, tallying three corner kicks within the next five minutes. Pack sophomore goalkeeper Leon Krapf came up with a save on the first corner kick, his second of five.
Wake Forest found its second goal in the 20th minute on a free kick by Bruno Lapa that was headed by Joey DeZart and finished by Chol to put the Deacons up 2-0.
The Pack went on the attack in the last 15 minutes, finally creating more opportunities on offense. Six of NC State’s 11 shots came during this period but the Pack still couldn’t find the back of the net.
Freshman forward Ivy Brisma took three of his four shots while the Pack was in desperation mode. Sophomore forward David Lorea tied Brisma for the team lead in shots with four, three of them on goal and two of them in the final stretch.
The Deacons only outshot the Wolfpack 14 to 11, but NC State was unable to get past the tough Wake Forest defense to capitalize on its possessions.
The Pack will await the NCAA Division I selection show on Nov. 12 to see where it will play in the first round of the NCAA Championship beginning Nov. 15.
