WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- No. 1-ranked Wake Forest scored twice in the first half and held off a late Florida Gulf Coast attack in a 3-1 victory at the FGCU Soccer Complex on Saturday night.
"Florida Gulf Coast, in the last 20 minutes, had us on the ropes," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "We committed too many turnovers, our fitness didn't look good and I thought we took our foot off the gas. But overall it's a great win and we're 3-0, leaving a really tough place to play with a victory. I don't know if we've played in more humidity, so it was a good opportunity to learn about ourselves."
Bruno Lapa continued his strong start to the season with a pair of goals, while Machop Chol added his first score of the season to lead the Demon Deacons (3-0-0).
Omir Fernandez sprinted down the left sideline and sent in a cross to Lapa for a tap-in goal in the fifth minute which put the Deacs ahead, 1-0.
A pair of substitutes connected on the second goal in the closing minutes of the first half. Alistair Johnstonand Chol executed on a flawless give-and-go, with Chol finishing over the keeper's head to make the score 2-0.
"There's not a player or member of the staff who doesn't believe in Machop and his ability," Muuss added. "We got to see glimpses of that today. He's still not fully fit [from injury], but his minutes certainly counted."
The Eagles (1-2-0) cut their deficit to one with a 50th minute strike from O'Vonte Mullings into the upper-90. FGCU continued on the attack in search of the equalizer, taking two shots and three corners before Wake Forest added an insurance goal in the 75th minute.
FGCU keeper Connor Gavigan committed a foul on Lapa in the box and was called for a penalty. Lapa stepped up to the spot and put away the PK to make the score 3-1.
"Bruno's not a better player than he was a year or two ago, but his mentality is 10 times better," Muuss said. "He's trying to lead, he's trying to work hard. He's training hard and playing the way he trains, and as a coach, that's the dream."
That sent the FGCU offense back onto the attack, taking five shots in the final 10 minutes of the game. Andreu Cases Mundet saved the only on-target attempt, and finished with four saves in the game.
The win was Wake Forest's seventh straight on the road, also extending the road unbeaten streak to 10 games dating back to September 2016.
Wake Forest is back in action on Tuesday, starting a three-game homestand against Presbyterian at 7 p.m.
"Florida Gulf Coast, in the last 20 minutes, had us on the ropes," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "We committed too many turnovers, our fitness didn't look good and I thought we took our foot off the gas. But overall it's a great win and we're 3-0, leaving a really tough place to play with a victory. I don't know if we've played in more humidity, so it was a good opportunity to learn about ourselves."
Bruno Lapa continued his strong start to the season with a pair of goals, while Machop Chol added his first score of the season to lead the Demon Deacons (3-0-0).
Omir Fernandez sprinted down the left sideline and sent in a cross to Lapa for a tap-in goal in the fifth minute which put the Deacs ahead, 1-0.
A pair of substitutes connected on the second goal in the closing minutes of the first half. Alistair Johnstonand Chol executed on a flawless give-and-go, with Chol finishing over the keeper's head to make the score 2-0.
"There's not a player or member of the staff who doesn't believe in Machop and his ability," Muuss added. "We got to see glimpses of that today. He's still not fully fit [from injury], but his minutes certainly counted."
The Eagles (1-2-0) cut their deficit to one with a 50th minute strike from O'Vonte Mullings into the upper-90. FGCU continued on the attack in search of the equalizer, taking two shots and three corners before Wake Forest added an insurance goal in the 75th minute.
FGCU keeper Connor Gavigan committed a foul on Lapa in the box and was called for a penalty. Lapa stepped up to the spot and put away the PK to make the score 3-1.
"Bruno's not a better player than he was a year or two ago, but his mentality is 10 times better," Muuss said. "He's trying to lead, he's trying to work hard. He's training hard and playing the way he trains, and as a coach, that's the dream."
That sent the FGCU offense back onto the attack, taking five shots in the final 10 minutes of the game. Andreu Cases Mundet saved the only on-target attempt, and finished with four saves in the game.
The win was Wake Forest's seventh straight on the road, also extending the road unbeaten streak to 10 games dating back to September 2016.
Wake Forest is back in action on Tuesday, starting a three-game homestand against Presbyterian at 7 p.m.
