Virginia pulled off the ultimate upset to make it to a semifinal match against Wake Forest in ACC Tournament play.
On Thursday evening, ninth-seeded Virginia will look to keep rolling in tournament play with a win over fifth-seeded Wake Forest to earn a spot in the final to be played on Sunday. The Cavaliers made it through to the semifinal round of play by beating top-seeded Pitt in a 2-0 win on Sunday, knocking the No. 9 team in the country out of tournament play. The game was scoreless until the 68th minute when Umberto Pelà found the back of the net with assists from Daniel Mangarov and Paul Wiese. Eight minutes later, AJ Smith added an insurance goal to give his team a bit of a buffer going into the final 20 minutes of play. The Cavaliers held the Panthers to just one shot on frame which was scooped up by Tom Miles in net to earn his sixth clean sheet of the season.
How to Watch Virginia vs Wake Forest in Men’s College Soccer Today:
Game Date: Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024
Game Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
TV: ACC Network (Local)
Live stream Virginia vs Wake Forest on Fubo: Start your free trial today!
The Demon Deacons opened tournament play with a 2-1 win over Syracuse before moving on to fourth-seeded SMU on Sunday. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, leading to penalties. Wake Forest was able to advance with a successful round of PK’s in a 5-4 win. Tournament play brings a different level of play since everything is on the line.
The same rang true with the Demon Deacons against the Mustangs as the teams played a scoreless first half. SMU scored two goals just seven minutes apart to take a 2-0 lead, but Wake Forest battled to get back in the game. Cooper Flax netted his sixth goal of the season to cut the lead in half in the 77th minute and Ryan Belal tied things up just three minutes later. After two periods of golden goal overtime, the score was still tied and the teams headed to penalties.
The Demon Deacons capitalized on its first four penalties, but they were forced into sudden death. Freshman Mason Sullivan converted in the sixth round with a powerful, and risky, shot right down the middle the give Wake Forest the edge going into the final shot. The Mustangs’ sixth shot went wide left to give the Demon Deacons a berth in the semifinal game.
When Wake Forest and Virginia met during regular season play, the game resulted in a 1-1 draw that was tightly contested. Thursday’s game should be an exciting one as both teams are looking to earn a spot in the championship game with the hopes of earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with an ACC title.
Regional restrictions may apply.
