Spring Season Showdown: North Carolina v. Wake Forest
Match Review Notes — North Carolina v. Wake Forest (March 3, 2024)
Over the weekend, I was able to get a glimpse at two of the best programs in the country as Wake Forest visited North Carolina in a spring season showdown that ended in a fiery 1-1 draw.
Last season, during their two meetings at Spry Stadium, each team came away with a 1-0 win. In the regular season, Wake Forest was the winner, but during the ACC Tournament, it was UNC that advanced. The battle continued in a Saturday afternoon clash that certainly didn't disappoint. Between the midfield work rate and the management of the back lines, there were only a handful of dangerous chances between both sides, but there was plenty of action in the middle of the park. UNC ultimately looked to have more opportunities with several corner kicks and a few free kicks within range of goal. Many of which didn't trouble Wake Forest though, so look for improvements to be made on set pieces as the spring season progresses. They know they can get the chances, now they just need to capitalize on them.
The first goal eventually came during the run of play around the 74th minute when freshman Andrew Kitch found the bottom right corner to give UNC the lead. The strike capped off a well worked cross that was teed up for the 6’4” forward, who narrowly beat an outstretched Jonah Mednard. Of note, the young goalkeeper recently returned from an international call-up with the Haitian U20 National Team where he started all three matches during their successful CONCACAF qualifying campaign.
Roughly 10 minutes later, Wake Forest came back with a cross from Alec Kenison that Julian Kennedy finished off to secure the 1-1 result.
Trace Alphin was called upon a few times to make some big saves. One notably towards the end of the first half to hold the scoreline at 0-0. Overall, it felt like a relatively routine day for the veteran Wake Forest shot stopper. He made another diving save to prevent a free kick shot before making way for Mednard. Alphin played most of the match behind Travis Smith Jr. and Prince Amponsah, a familiar partnership that continues to look really promising going forward. Philadelphia Union academy newcomer Daniel Krueger is also in the fold now, having made an appearance in the match as well.
The Wake Forest defenders had their work cut out for them as Carlos Somoano featured Martin Vician and Luke Hille up front together, while also rotating in the freshman pairing of Andrew Kitch and Daniel Lugo. All four forwards have the size, strength and ability to cause problems. The UNC defense picked up where they left off a few months ago as one of the best defenses in the nation. As expected, Riley Thomas and Charlie Harper showed their experience, containing nearly everything the Wake Forest offense threw at them. Throughout the entire 2023 season, UNC allowed two goals in only one game. For the rest of their 21 matches, they conceded only one goal or held a clean sheet in each appearance. Breaking down the UNC defensive unit will likely require something more creative as their opponents continue to search for more goals against the consistently stingy side.
One of the biggest standouts for me was UNC's Tate Johnson. The fullback jumped right in and met the intensity of the match. He got himself very much involved in each facet of the game and played well on both sides of defense. For some background, Johnson already made his professional debut as a 16 year old for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a U.S. Open Cup appearance back on April 5th, 2022 and is currently affiliated with the Charlotte FC academy.
Sam Williams looked sharp as well. The academy product of New York Red Bulls was the engine of the midfield. Like Johnson, Williams also appears to have made a professional debut at 16 years old with New York Red Bulls II. He came on as a substitute two and a half years ago during the club's stint in the USL Championship (07/02/2021 v. Miami FC).
One of the biggest misses for Wake Forest continues to be Liam O’Gara, whose timeline to return still remains unknown to me. He was another player that was heavily considered for an MLS Generation Adidas contract back in December after having been one of the best freshman prospects in the nation in 2023. Incoming transfer Pierce Bateson stepped into the role left vacant by the recovering O’Gara and I thought he played pretty well against a tough test. He recently arrived from UCONN over the winter break and has only faced an ACC opponent once before in his college career (09/05/22 v. Syracuse).
Both schools will welcome in two sides from the Greater Toronto Area for their next competition. North Carolina will host Mississauga FC on 3/6 while Wake Forest takes on Erin Mills on 3/8.