Wake Forest Defeats Bowling Green 1-0 in Ohio Road Swing

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Wake Forest didn’t just survive its Ohio road swing. It slammed the door on it.

On a chopped-up field at Cochrane Stadium and three days removed from a gut-punch loss at No. 10 Akron, the Demon Deacons dug in, leaned on their back line, and rode a single moment of first-half quality to a 1-0 win over Bowling Green on Monday night.

Young strikes, Wake Forest cashes in

Wake Forest had the ball. Bowling Green had to chase it.

The Deacons dictated the first 45 minutes, stacking up seven shots and four corners while keeping the Falcons largely at arm’s length. The only thing missing was a finish.

That came in the 43rd minute.

Mason Sullivan, ever-present and tireless again, drilled a low ball into the attacking third. At the edge of the box, Marcos Miranda added the touch that changed the night, redirecting it neatly into the path of Chandler Young. Young didn’t hesitate, didn’t complicate it. One composed finish, and Wake Forest had the 1-0 lead its play deserved.

For Miranda, it was his first assist at the NCAA Division I level. For Sullivan, it was the first assist of his career, fitting reward on a night when he was the only outfield player to go the full 90 minutes for a third straight match.

The timing of the goal mattered. Wake Forest had controlled the tempo and territory; going into the break still level would have felt like a missed opportunity. Instead, Young’s strike turned possession into punishment.

Mednard and the back line dig in

The game flipped after halftime.

Bowling Green came out with intent, pressing higher, driving balls into dangerous areas and firing from distance and in tight windows. The Falcons racked up 14 shots in the second half alone, finishing with 19 on the night.

Wake Forest bent. It did not break.

Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jonah Mednard was the anchor. He faced six shots on target and stopped them all, four of those saves coming after the interval as the Falcons surged. He denied efforts from Lucas Brinkman and Luciano Perez-Cernuda in the second half, key moments that kept the Deacons in front when the match threatened to tilt.

By the final whistle, Mednard had secured his second clean sheet in three games and the fifth solo shutout of his career, pushing his career save total to 63. It also stood as Wake Forest’s first road clean sheet since a 0-0 draw at Duke on Oct. 12, 2024.

In front of him, the defensive unit held its line. The starting back four of Daniel Krueger, Sullivan, Ronnie Garcia and Travis Smith Jr. absorbed wave after wave, helped late on by second-half contributions from Will Kuisel, Copeland Berkley and Lorenze Currie. They dealt with long throws, corners, and the chaos that comes with both, repeatedly clearing danger and limiting truly clear looks at goal despite Bowling Green’s volume of attempts.

Wake Forest finished with 12 shots, five on target, five corners and 53 percent of the ball. Bowling Green answered with 19 shots, six on frame, and six corners, much of that fueled by second-half urgency. The stat sheet said pressure. The scoreboard said Mednard.

Responding after Akron, rolling into ACC play

This win carried more than just another tick in the non-conference column.

On Friday, Wake Forest had gone toe-to-toe with No. 10 Akron, keeping the Zips scoreless for more than 83 minutes before conceding late in a 1-0 defeat. That kind of loss can linger. Instead, the Deacons turned it into fuel.

They closed their two-match Ohio swing with a clean sheet, a road win, and their first non-conference victory away from home since a 4-1 triumph at UNCW on Oct. 15, 2024. They also showed they could adjust their style on a difficult surface against a direct, set-piece-heavy opponent and still come away with three points.

Mednard’s performance earned him Man of the Match honors, joining captain Jeffrey White and David Nguema (twice) as Wake Forest players recognized this season. His six-save shutout, backed by a disciplined and resilient defensive unit, underlined a simple message: this team can grind.

Next comes a different kind of test.

Wake Forest returns to Spry Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, to host Duke in its ACC opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. One road trip is complete. The real climb starts now.