Wake Forest Secures 1-0 Victory at Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – One moment of composure, 45 minutes of defiance, and Wake Forest’s road trip ended with exactly what it needed: a win and a clean sheet.
On a heavy Cochrane Stadium surface that frustrated both sides, the Demon Deacons ground out a 1-0 victory over Bowling Green on Monday night, riding Chandler Young’s first-half strike and a stubborn defensive stand after the break.
Young strikes, at last
Wake Forest had owned the ball for most of the opening period, probing, recycling, forcing corners, but with nothing to show for seven early shots. The game needed a clean move. It arrived in the 43rd minute.
Mason Sullivan, ever-present again, drove a low ball into the channels. At the edge of the box, Marcos Miranda flicked it neatly into space, and Young did the rest, sweeping his finish past the goalkeeper with calm certainty. One pass to break the lines, one touch to unlock the defense, one ruthless finish. 1-0.
For Miranda, it was a landmark moment: his first NCAA Division I assist. For Sullivan, it capped another tireless night. The defender was the only outfield player to go the full 90 minutes, doing so for the third straight match.
The timing could not have been better. Wake Forest had already forced four corners and largely kept Bowling Green at arm’s length. The goal finally matched the pattern of the half.
Mednard slams the door
The second half flipped the script. Bowling Green came out with intent and never really let up.
The Falcons fired 14 shots after halftime, 19 in total, launching waves of attacks, long throws and set pieces into the Wake Forest box. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jonah Mednard met them all with authority.
He finished with six saves, four of them after the break, including key stops to deny Lucas Brinkman and Luciano Perez-Cernuda. Crosses flew in, second balls bounced dangerously, but Mednard’s handling and positioning held firm. By the final whistle, he had secured his second clean sheet in three games and the fifth solo shutout of his career, pushing his career save tally to 63.
The shutout carried extra weight. It was Wake Forest’s first clean sheet on the road since a 0-0 draw at Duke on Oct. 12, 2024.
Back line under fire
In front of Mednard, the back four bent but never broke.
The starting unit of Daniel Krueger, Sullivan, Ronnie Garcia and Travis Smith Jr. absorbed a barrage of pressure, particularly from set pieces and long throws. Second-half reinforcements Will Kuisel, Copeland Berkley and Lorenze Currie added fresh legs as Bowling Green pushed numbers forward.
Wake Forest had to adjust its style on a field head coach Bobby Muuss openly criticized post-match, but the defensive group adapted, closing gaps and limiting truly clear looks despite the shot count.
The Falcons finished with 19 attempts, six on target, and six corners. Wake Forest, by contrast, ended with 12 shots, five on frame, five corners and a slight edge in possession at 53 percent. The difference was execution at both ends.
Responding to Akron, closing out Ohio
This result did more than tidy up a box score. It answered a question about resilience.
On Friday, Wake Forest had gone toe-to-toe with No. 10 Akron, holding a scoreless draw for more than 83 minutes before conceding late in a 1-0 defeat. Less than 72 hours later, on the same Ohio swing, the Demon Deacons had to pick themselves up, travel again, and face a Bowling Green side dangerous on restarts.
They did exactly that.
Young, Kuisel and Roald Mitchell Reid all carved out second-half looks as Wake Forest tried to kill the game with a second goal, but the night belonged to the defense. The visitors weathered the final 45 minutes, clearing, blocking, and contesting every aerial duel to lock down their first non-conference road victory since a 4-1 win at UNCW on Oct. 15, 2024.
Man of the Match: Mednard
There was no debate about the standout performer.
Mednard’s six-save shutout preserved the slender lead and added his name again to Wake Forest’s early-season honors list. He joins captain Jeffrey White and David Nguema (twice) as recipients of Man of the Match recognition this campaign.
His performance, combined with the back line’s resolve, turned a narrow advantage into a statement road win.
ACC test on deck
The Ohio trip is over. The stakes rise next.
Wake Forest returns to Spry Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, to host Duke in its first ACC match of the season, kickoff set for 7 p.m. The Demon Deacons arrive with a clean sheet, a road win, and a defense that just survived 19 shots on hostile turf.
Now comes the question that will define their fall: can this grit on the road translate into dominance at home when conference play begins?
