BIRMINGHAM – The UAB men’s soccer team faces its second ACC opponent in six days when the Blazers travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to take on No. 1 Wake Forest Saturday night.
UAB (1-3) looks to get the offense back in gear after being shut out the last two games. The Blazer defense faced a tough test Monday night against No. 3 Clemson, holding their own for the first 44 minutes before the Tigers broke through. The UAB defense faced 23 shots on the night, nine on goal as freshman goalkeeper Caelan Whitehead made a career-high six saves.
Senior defender Krenar Krasniqi had an impressive performance against the Tigers with three blocked shots, including a crucial goal line clearance to save another Clemson goal.
Wake Forest (2-0) is out to a hot start on the season scoring seven goals in its first two games while only conceding two. The Demon Deacons opened the season with a 3-1 win at Louisville before beating NC State 4-1 in Winston-Salem last Saturday.
Through two games, forward Kyle Holcomb leads Wake Forest with three goals on six shots. The Demon Deacons have tallied twice as many shots as their opponents with 24, 10 of which have been on goal.
“Playing the most competitive schedule we possibly can is of utmost importance to us as we continue to grow as a team,” said head coach Jeff Kinney. “We push our players to get to the next level and these games play a massive role in that process. Wake Forest has arguably been the best program in the country over the last five years and find themselves at No. 1 again right now. They are extremely talented in all areas and it’s going to take 90 minutes of intelligent work for us to get the result. We are excited for the challenge ahead.”
UAB and Wake Forest have met three times with Wake leading the series 2-1. The last meeting came in 1996 when the Demon Deacons won a 2-0 decision in Winston-Salem.
Men’s soccer season tickets are on sale by purchasing the 2020-21 Gold Card for $65 here. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all UAB men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB men’s soccer team, follow @UAB_MSoc on Twitter and Instagram.
