Gardner-Webb University
Wake Forest
Veteran Trio Lifts Runnin' Bulldogs to 2-1 Exhibition Win Over #11 Wake Forest
August 18, 2014 | Men's Soccer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. --- Patrick Gurser (Frankfurt, Germany) converted a first-half penalty, and Denzel Clarke (Atlanta, Ga.) finished off a nifty give-and-go with Jerome Roche (Salon-de-Provence, France) five minutes later to lift Gardner-Webb to a 2-1 victory over No. 11 Wake Forest in a preseason exhibtion on Monday evening.
"I'm very proud of the team and their response tonight against a very talented and organized Wake Forest, "praised head coach Tony Setzer. "We're extremely happy with the result but even more pleased with the team's determination to impact the game."
The Runnin' Bulldogs turned the page in a big way in the march through the preseason, edging the Demon Deacons by a score line of 2-1 despite a 21-7 shot advantage for Wake Forest.
Clarke and Gurser each found the back of the net for the first time this fall, while Roche opened his collegiate account with an assist on Clarke's first-half winner. Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Swan (Newport, South Wales) made seven saves, including a pivotal 88th minute penalty stop to seal the victory for Gardner-Webb.
The Runnin' Bulldogs opened the scoring in the 31st minute against the run of play, earning a chance from the spot which Gurser easily converted for the early 1-0 advantage. Roche and Clarke doubled the margin to 2-0 less than five minutes later, executing a cheeky one-two in the area before Clarke finished off the breakaway for his first of the preseason.
Gardner-Webb held the two-goal advantage through the interval and into the 52nd minute, when Wake Forest was awarded a penalty of its own following a Runnin' Bulldog foul in the box. Dominic Scotti stepped up and converted, cutting the lead to 2-1 with 38 minutes to play.
Wake Forest continued to push forward in search of an equalizer, putting five shots toward goal, including three saves by Swan in the final 15 minutes. The sophomore keeper made his biggest stop of the night with precious little time remaining, denying Steven Echevarria from the penalty spot in the 87th minute to grab the win for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb caps its preseason slate on Friday, August 22 at Greene-Harbison Stadium, hosting NCAA Division II King College (Tenn.) at 7:00 p.m.
