Wake Forest falls in National Championship Game
HOUSTON, Texas -- After 110 scoreless minutes, the Wake Forest men's soccer team came up a penalty kick short of the national championship, falling to Stanford, 5-4, in penalties at BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After successful penalties by Ian Harkes, Jacori Hayes and Bruno Lapa, the Demon Deacons and the Cardinal were even at 3-3 in PKs.
Stanford then missed its attempt after making its first 13 of the college cup, beating North Carolina, 10-9, on PKs Friday. Jon Bakero put the Deacs in front with a make, 4-3.
But the Cardinal responded with two straight makes from Corey Baird and Sam Werner, and two saves by keeper Andrew Epstein, to seal their second consecutive national title.
"Stanford executed their gameplan and played very, very well. What else can you say? We had an opportunity to win the game," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "I felt comfortable and confident in the guys who were stepping up [for penalties], but it just wasn't our day unfortunately."
The second-seeded Demon Deacons finish the year with a 19-3-3 record, while the fifth-seeded Cardinal wrap up the season at 15-3-5.
Ian Harkes was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the College Cup after scoring the game-winning goal in Friday's win over Denver.
"I thought the atmosphere was pretty good, I think it was 75 percent Wake Forest fans," Muuss added. "I'd be remissed if I didn't thank the Wake Forest Demon Deacon soccer family coming out. We had 50 to 60 alumni that flew from all over the country to watch this game. The Congregation was here, traveling across the country to get to Houston to support this group. It shows what kind of soccer community we have in Winston...It's a special family. I want to thank the fans that were out there, I thought they made this place pretty special tonight."
Action in regulation went back-and-forth, with the Deacs holding a 10-9 advantage in shots. The Deacs had one more corner (5-4) and took one less shot on goal (5-4).
Playing in place of All-American keeper Alec Ferrell, Andreu Cases Mundet stopped all five shots on goal he faced during the run of play.
After a slow start, the Deacs picked up the action to take the last three shots of the opening half. Bakero had a bicycle kick saved off a corner kick in the 23rd minute and had a shot sail high in the 44th minute, while Harkes had an effort saved in the 43rd minute.
Hayes and Harkes put shots on target again in the second half, but none found the back of the net as the squads headed to overtime again. Kevin Politzand Brad Dunwell took shots off a corner kick in the 98th minute, but each was deflected away by a defender.
Cases Mundet kept the Deacs in the game at the 101:00 mark, when Adrian Alabi took a far-post shot. Cases Mundet made a diving, one-handed save before a Deacon cleared it away. Minutes later, Politz took another header off a Harkes corner, but the attempt missed wide.
The 2016 campaign was one for the record books, as the Deacs made just their second-ever appearance in the national championship game. Wake Forest earned its fifth-ever trip to the College Cup, and first since 2009.