Deacs, Tigers Battle to 1-1 Draw
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- In the second-straight battle of top-10 opponents for the Wake Forest men's soccer team, the eighth-ranked Demon Deacons battled No. 5 Clemson to a 1-1 draw on Saturday night at Spry Stadium.
Playing in a steady wind and rain, Wake Forest moves to 7-1-1 and 2-0-1 in ACC play while Clemson moves to 6-1-2 and 1-1-1 in conference action.
Wake Forest was forced to come from behind in the contest after falling down 1-0 in the 32nd minute when T.J. Casner scored his fifth goal of the season on a free-kick strike near the left sideline. His shot beat the Deacon wall to the right side and found the right corner of goal to put the Tigers up 1-0.
Battling to score the equalizer, the Demon Deacons broke through in the 63rd minute when Jon Bakero tallied his fourth goal of the season and third in as many games. The sophomore was fed by Jacori Hayes, who started the run outside the box and beat his defender. Hayes found Bakero five yards out and Bakero one-timed his shot into the open goal after the Clemson keeper tried to intercept the cross.
Alec Ferrell got the nod for the Demon Deacons between the pipes, making seven saves to tie his career-high for the second game in a row, as he also posted seven saves on the road against No. 6 Akron. His counterpart, Andrew Tarbell, made four saves in the contest. The two teams finished with 14 shots apiece. Clemson put eight on goal while the Demon Deacons peppered Tarbell with five shots on target.
Following a match in which Ferrell made a game-saving save in the final 10 minutes against the Zips on Tuesday night, Ferrell again came up big Saturday against the Tigers. He posted three saves in a 10-minute span, each save better than the last, to keep the Demon Deacons tied at 1-1 with Clemson.
In overtime, Wake Forest had the best chance of the session when Michael Gamble broke loose through the middle of the field. While he had a one-on-one chance on goal against the keeper, the play was called back for offsides.
Now with five days off ahead of them, the Demon Deacons will take on Boston College next time out on Friday, Oct. 2, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, at 7 p.m. With three games played in ACC action thus far, the Deacs and Eagles are atop the Atlantic Division standings with seven and six points, respectively. Overall, Boston College is 6-2 while posting a 2-1 mark in ACC action.
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