’Cuse Defeated by Wake Forest in ACC Championship First Round

Wednesday, November 6

Winston-Salem, NC

7:00 PM

Syracuse University

7-7-3, 2-4-2

Wake Forest

9-4-5, 4-2-2

Syracuse

Wake Forest

’Cuse Defeated by Wake Forest in ACC Championship First Round

11/6/2024 10:09:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The 12th-seeded Syracuse men's soccer team (7-7-3, 2-4-2 ACC) dropped a tough, 2-1, loss to fifth-seeded Wake Forest (9-4-5, 4-2-2 ACC) in the first round of the ACC Championship on Wednesday night at Spry Stadium. Gabe Threadgold put the Orange on the board in the 16^th minute, but the Demon Deacons used two goals in the second half to move on to the tournament's quarterfinals.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Michael Acquah and Threadgold connected on the Orange's first shot of the game, putting 'Cuse on the board early. The Awutu Beretu, Ghana, native recorded his team-leading sixth assist of the season on the Bremerton, Washington, native's fourth goal, a team high.

What a pass & what a finish 😮‍💨 https://t.co/8ybqMIvNMh pic.twitter.com/Gb6V1m5ett
— Syracuse Men's Soccer (@CuseMSOC) November 7, 2024

Both teams had opportunities in the first half, with the Demon Deacons outshooting the Orange 9-4. However, goalkeeper Tomas Hut came up big with two crucial saves on quality Wake Forest chances, keeping his team in front 1-0 at halftime.

LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING https://t.co/DEqU6GgyED pic.twitter.com/FaAcraz78B
— Syracuse Men's Soccer (@CuseMSOC) November 7, 2024

The Demon Deacons leveled the match at one goal apiece in the 73rd minute when Cooper Flax converted a penalty kick.

Syracuse continued battling, however, holding off four-consecutive Wake Forest scoring chances after its equalizer, but the home team ultimately broke through in the 83^rd minute with a header from Travis Smith Jr. to take a 2-1 lead.

As the clock wound down, 'Cuse pushed for an equalizer but couldn't break through, as Wake Forest secured a 2-1 victory to advance to the ACC Championship Quarterfinals

OF NOTE:

Threadgold, who has a team-high 12 points after scoring his first-half goal tonight, is now also SU's leader in goals this season with four.
Acquah's sixth assist of the campaign puts him in a tie with Jordan Murrell, John Andrade, Dino Pappas, and Hugo Delhommelle for sixth-most assists as a junior in program history.
Hut matched a season-high six saves in the loss. The goalkeeper also had six stops in the team's first game against Wake Forest on Sept. 27.
Syracuse earned full 90-minute efforts from a handful of players tonight including Hut, Chimere Omeze, Sam Layton, Nathan Scott, and Elton Chifamba.
'Cuse moves to 8-6-6 all time in the ACC Championship with a 2-4-5 record on the road.
Syracuse falls to 3-7-3 in the lifetime series against the Demon Deacons. The Orange dropped the first postseason match in the series.

UP NEXT:
The Orange's 7-7-3 (.500) record qualifies them for a chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 48-team bracket features 23 automatic conference qualifiers and 25 at-large selections, which will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 18 on NCAA.com.

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's soccer, follow us on Facebook (/cusemsoc), Twitter (@CuseMSOC) and Instagram (@cusemsoc).