Miami Drops Road Tilt with Wake Forest
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In the first road match of the 2020 campaign, the University of Miami soccer team came up short, 1-0, against Wake Forest Thursday night at Spry Soccer Stadium.
The Hurricanes battled to the final whistle and were led on the defensive end by Tyler Speaks. The junior goalkeeper capped the evening with seven saves, one shy of tying her career-high.
“I thought we improved in the second half. We kept the ball a little better and generated some chances in the attack,” head coach Sarah Barnes said. “The team defended aggressively in our box. This was our first game on the road and our inexperience was exposed, especially early on. Right now, it’s about finding ways to get better every single day.
“As a coaching staff, we have to focus on teaching the fundamentals until they become our habit under pressure in a game environment,” Barnes continued. “We have to continue to focus on improving the small details in order to be better prepared for Sunday.”
After 16 minutes without a shot on goal by either team, Wake Forest was the first to initiate an attack. Off a corner, Carrie McIntire sent a shot toward the center of the net, but Speaks was in position to make the grab.
Four minutes later Giovanna DeMarco sent a ball toward the bottom left corner, but again Speaks was able to make the stop.
Overall, the Dunwoody, Ga., native capped the opening half with four saves, as the Hurricanes and Demon Deacons entered the locker room all knotted at 0-0.
After Speaks corralled her fifth save of the evening in the 47th minute, off a shot by Shayla Smart, Miami looked to get its offense rolling.
Off a counter-attack, UM redshirt freshman midfielder Jackie Koerwitz received the ball at the top of the 18 with her back to the goal. Making a quick move to her left, she blasted the ball toward the cross-bar, however Mia Raben was able to make the save to keep the match scoreless.
Wake Forest broke the tie in the 68th minute, when Ryanne Brown received a through ball from McIntire for a counter-attack leading to a 1-on-1 with Speaks. Brown finessed the ball into the bottom right corner, which proved to make the difference in the match.
Up next, the Hurricanes will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to face No. 10 Virginia Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The match will be aired live on ACC Network.
