Wake Forest Survives Bowling Green in 1-0 Victory

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Wake Forest didn’t just grind out a win in Ohio. It survived one.

On a chewed-up field, under a barrage of long throws and set pieces, the Demon Deacons leaned on a single, sharp moment of quality from Chandler Young and 90 minutes of stubborn defending to edge Bowling Green 1-0 at Cochrane Stadium on Monday night.

One Chance, One Goal

For 42 minutes, Wake Forest had the ball, the territory, and the rhythm. What it didn’t have was a goal.

That changed in the 43rd minute.

Mason Sullivan, ever-present and tireless again, drove a low ball into the Bowling Green half. At the top of the box, Marcos Miranda got the faintest of touches, just enough to redirect it into space. Young arrived with perfect timing and finished calmly, sliding his first goal of the season past the keeper to give Wake Forest a 1-0 lead.

It was a breakthrough built on pressure. By halftime, the Demon Deacons had seven shots and four corners, pinning the Falcons back for long stretches. The goal carried extra weight: Miranda’s first assist at the NCAA Division I level, the first assist of Sullivan’s career, and a tangible reward for a half they had largely controlled.

Sullivan’s night didn’t stop there. The defender was the only outfield player to go the full 90 minutes, doing so for a third straight match as the anchor of a back line that would spend the second half under siege.

Under Fire After the Break

Whatever Bowling Green lacked in the first half, it brought with interest in the second.

The Falcons came out flying, throwing bodies forward, launching long throws, and peppering the Wake Forest box with service. They finished with 19 shots on the night, 14 of them after halftime, and six corners as they turned the match into a test of nerve.

Wake Forest bent. It never broke.

Behind them, redshirt junior goalkeeper Jonah Mednard turned the game into his stage. He finished with six saves, four of them after the break, to secure his second clean sheet in three games and the fifth solo shutout of his career. His career save total climbed to 63, but the numbers only tell part of the story.

Mednard stood tall on dangerous efforts from Lucas Brinkman and Luciano Perez-Cernuda, smothering one-on-ones and handling awkward bounces on a surface his head coach openly criticized. Every stop ratcheted up the frustration for Bowling Green and steadied a Wake Forest side protecting the narrowest of margins.

In front of him, the starting back four of Daniel Krueger, Sullivan, Ronnie Garcia and Travis Smith Jr. held their line with discipline, helped after the break by the fresh legs of Will Kuisel, Copeland Berkley and Lorenze Currie. They dealt with wave after wave of direct play and, as head coach Bobby Muuss noted, a barrage of long throw-ins and restarts.

Wake Forest still found ways to threaten going the other way. Young, Kuisel and Roald Mitchell Reid each carved out second-half chances, but the story of the night was resistance, not ruthlessness.

Mednard Takes the Spotlight

For all the grit across the XI, there was no debate about the headline act.

Mednard earned Man of the Match honors with his six-save shutout, joining captain Jeffrey White and David Nguema (twice) as Wake Forest players recognized this season. His command of the box on corners and long throws, and his poise under constant pressure, allowed Wake Forest to ride out the final 45 minutes and lock in a win that felt as much psychological as statistical.

It was also a milestone shutout: Wake Forest’s first clean sheet on the road since a 0-0 draw at Duke on Oct. 12, 2024.

A Hard Road, A Timely Response

This wasn’t a trip built for comfort.

On Friday, Wake Forest had gone toe-to-toe with No. 10 Akron, holding the Zips scoreless for more than 83 minutes before conceding late in a 1-0 defeat. The loss stung. The response mattered.

In Bowling Green, the Demon Deacons found it.

They closed their two-match Ohio swing with a win, improving to 2-1-1 and picking up their first non-conference road victory since a 4-1 triumph at UNCW on Oct. 15, 2024. They did it while adjusting their style on a field Muuss bluntly said was “not in the condition for high-level Division I soccer right now,” and against a Falcons side that leaned heavily into its strength on set pieces and direct play.

Wake Forest still edged possession at 53 percent and finished with 12 shots, five on target, and five corners. Bowling Green answered with volume: 19 shots, six on goal, and six corners, alongside a relentless stream of long throws that tested Wake Forest’s concentration until the final whistle.

The Demon Deacons passed that test.

Duke Awaits

Now comes the real measuring stick.

Wake Forest heads back to Spry Stadium to open ACC play on Saturday, Sept. 5, when Duke comes to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Demon Deacons return home with a clean sheet, a road win, and a bit of edge earned the hard way.

If they defend like this when the Blue Devils arrive, that Ohio grind might just prove to be the turning point of their season.