#7 Syracuse Hosts #4 Wake Forest for Pivotal ACC Match

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – No. 7 ranked Syracuse men’s soccer faces one of its toughest tests on Friday, Oct. 7 as No. 4 Wake Forest visits the SU Soccer Stadium for a 7 p.m. match. The Atlantic Coast Conference match will be streaming live on ACCNX. Admission to the SU Soccer Stadium is free of charge.

 

The Orange and Demon Deacons are tied for the lead in the ACC Atlantic Division. The last time Wake Forest visited SU Soccer was in 2018. ‘Cuse pulled off an incredible 2-0 win over the then No. 1 ranked Demon Deacons.

 

ORANGE UPDATE:

Syracuse is the No. 7 team in the country and has a record of 8-2-1 (3-1-0 ACC). ‘Cuse is off to the best start to a season since 2016. A win against No. 4 Wake Forest would be the most wins in a season since 2016 The Orange have spent three-straight weeks in the United Soccer Coaches’ top 10.

 

The Orange enter Friday’s match looking for a statement win after losing 2-1 against No. 22 Cornell. Syracuse outshot the Big Red 17-9, as Cornell scored its two goals off an Orange own goal and a successful penalty kick. Sophomore forward Nathan Opoku pulled a goal back in the 89th minute of action. ‘Cuse allowed multiple goals in a match for the first time since Oct. 29, 2021.

 

Goalkeeper Russell Shealy earned ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors on Tuesday, Oct. 4 after his four saves and clean sheet against Virginia Tech. The Cartersville, Ga. native is tied for the conference leads in GAA (.500) and shutouts (6).

 

The defense remains the biggest strength for the Orange. ‘Cuse is tied for the national lead in clean sheets (7), ranks second in save percentage (.878), and is fourth in the nation in goals against average (.455).

 

Opoku is a vital part of the Orange attack and one of the conference’s leading strikers. The Accra, Ghana native is tied for second in goals with five and points with 14. He leads the team in goals and points as well.

 

There are currently five fall sports teams ranked on Syracuse’s campus, the most teams concurrently ranked in the fall in school history. Men’s cross country (No. 9), field hockey (No. 11), women’s cross country (No. 15), and football (No. 22) are the other four teams ranked beside the men’s soccer program.

 

SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS:

Wake…