Clemson defeated Wake in a sloppy game in Winston-Salem today 24-17, dropping the Demon Deacons first side to 0-2 on the season. Wake looked better than it had the previous weekend against Coastal Carolina and actually led the Tigers 10-0 with 30 minutes remaining. But an extended period of undisciplined play by Wake, where it committed numerous penalties and completely abandoned any semblance of an offensive gameplan, allowed Clemson to run off a string of 24 unanswered points and put the game away. Wake showed some heart with a nicely worked try at the death, but by then the result was no longer in doubt. Wake's tries were scored by freshman winger Ben Cohen, freshman flanker Brendan Shea, and junior prop Ken Forte. Forte's try was converted by sophomore winger Scott Gillespie.
Wake's second side unfortunately imitated the first side, allowing Clemson to go on a 24-0 run to open the match. Led by inspirational play from captain and inside center JD Harrison, the Demon Deacons righted the ship and reeled off three tries to Clemson's one to close the game and finish with a respectable 29-15 scoreline. Freshman Gardere Carter notched his first career try and followed it up with his first career yellow card, while sophomore prop Devin Henry and Harrison also touched down. Senior David Poplaski deserves praise for playing 160 minutes of rugby on the day, anchoring the front row in the first match at hooker and stabalizing the scrum in the second game at #8.
Wake is off next weekend for fall break. Both sides will be back in action on October 25 at the North Carolina Rugby Union Tournament in Danville, VA.
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