Tate Lorenz picked the perfect moment to deliver Wake Forest a signature win.
The former Mount Tabor standout buried the game-winning penalty kick in the 90th minute Saturday night, lifting the Demon Deacons to a 3-2 victory over Virginia at Spry Stadium. The shot capped a frantic finish and sent the home crowd into a roar.
Lorenz, a senior and a Mount Tabor graduate, scored in the 89th minute on a penalty kick to give Wake Forest the lead before Virginia pulled even late. But when the decisive kick came in the final minute, Lorenz stepped up again and finished the job.
“That was a big win in the ACC, and the more than 2,000 fans went home happy,” Wake Forest coach Bobby Muuss said.
The Demon Deacons were down 2-0 with just 12 seconds left in regulation when the penalty was called and Lorenz went to work. He and his teammates had spent two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Wake Forest last season, and the pressure-packed finish gave them a chance to avoid a result that would have felt like a wasted night.
“I was really disappointed in our guys with the way we started the second half,” Muuss said after the loss to Virginia. “Credit to Virginia, they started with a lot more energy.
We just didn’t play intelligent football. We were able to get the game back a little bit, still a little bit too end-to-end, and that played into the final seconds.”
Wake Forest improved to 3-3-0 overall and 1-0 in ACC play. Virginia fell to 4-2-0 overall and 1-1 in the ACC.
The Cavaliers had led 2-0 before Jose Perez scored a perfect corner to the box for Ronnie Garcia, who headed the ball in for a 1-0 lead in less than 13 minutes. That was Garcia’s first goal in a Wake Forest uniform and the second of his collegiate career, with his previous score coming as a freshman at Campbell.
Joby Reid then added another goal off a rebound shot from Jeffrey White to push Virginia ahead 2-0 a few minutes later.
Wake Forest answered twice to tie the match, but Lorenz’s late penalty was the difference. It marked his first goal of the season and the second of his college career.
“I thought some guys that didn’t have good performances last weekend stepped up tonight,” Muuss said. “I’m proud of the supporters.
It’s great to have so many Demon Deacons back to watch a win over a big rival and a great side. I’m extremely proud of the guys.”
Wake Forest is back in action Friday at NC State at 5 p.m.
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Wake Forest Let Miami Take Control Before The Late Push Began
Miamis control of the game came early, and Tyler Mensah was at the center of it all. The Hurricanes quarterback was remarkably efficient, completing 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-20 win over Wake Forest, a performance that also carried him into the record book with multiple marks for consecutive completions, including Miami and ACC single-game and multi-game records.
Wake Forest never stopped pressing, and the late push gave the Demon Deacons something to build on even if the result stayed the same. Miamis defense had to close the door after Wake Forest tried to make things interesting down the stretch, and that finish underscored the difference in a game the Hurricanes had already largely put under control before the comeback effort fully took shape. [Read more 🡒]