Greenville, S.C. – Kyle Holcomb tapped in a shot from close range at the 86:15 mark to lift fourth-ranked Wake Forest to a 2-1 victory over Furman in men's soccer exhibition action Sunday evening on Seagraves Field at Stone Stadium.
 
"Four days into the preseason and we're playing the No. 4 team in the country so it's a tough challenge," said Paladin head coach Doug Allison. "We were able to get a look at a lot of players tonight and they worked extremely hard."
 
After a scoreless first half that saw senior Max Fisher record a save in the opening minutes for the Paladins and Connor Hubbard bang a shot off of the right post, Wake Forest broke through first on a set piece at the 57:16 mark. Omar Hernandez lofted a corner kick towards the back post and Michael DeShields headed the cross into the lower left-hand corner to put the Demon Deacons in front.
 
Less than six minutes later, Furman earned a corner kick and drew a foul at the top of the box following the restart. Sophomore Cole McLagan stepped up and curled his free kick into the lower right-hand corner at 63:14 to even the match at 1-1.
 
Fisher made a pair of keys saves to keep the match even, but Wake Forest broke the tie with just 3:45 to go in regulation when Calvin Harris darted into the left side of the box and forced a save that ended up at the feet of Holcomb who deposited his chance for the eventual winning goal.
 
The Demon Deacons finished with a 13-3 margin in total shots and 7-2 edge in shots on target.
 
Andrew Pannenberg earned the win in goal for Wake Forest, while Cole McNally notched one first half save. Fisher went the distance in net for Furman and totaled five saves.
 
The Paladins conclude their exhibition schedule on Friday, August 23, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at North Florida.
 
Furman soccer season tickets, available for $30, can be purchased at FurmanPaladins.com and include admission to all Furman men's soccer and women's soccer regular season home matches.