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Wake Forest University

Wake Forest Athletics (Men's Soccer)
 PO Box 7346; Winston-Salem, NC 27109 Winston-Salem, NC 27105
Division 1 North Carolina Southeast
Private Medium National competitor
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Bobby Muuss

Completing his eighth season at the helm of the Wake Forest men’s soccer program in 2022, head coach Bobby Muuss has guided the Demon Deacons to sustained success unmatched in the college game.


From 2015-22, Wake Forest has:


Collected the most overall wins in NCAA Division I men’s soccer (130)Collected the most home wins in NCAA Division I men’s soccer (94)


Collected the most regular season ACC wins (48)


Extended Wake Forest’s NCAA Tournament appearances streak to 12-straight years, which is eight more years than any other ACC program


Appeared in seven Sweet Sixteens (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)


Appeared in two College Cups (2016 and 2019)


Won back-to-back ACC Tournament titles (2016 and 2017) for the first time in program history


Wake Forest has amassed an 129-32-12 record in Muuss' eight seasons, more wins than any other program in NCAA Division I in that span.


He reached 200 career wins in a 3-1 victory over Boston College on Oct. 15, 2022, and during the 2020-21 season, Muuss became the fastest NCAA Division I coach to reach 100 wins at their current school, doing so in 128 matches in a 2-1 overtime victory over Louisville on March 27, 2021.


Muuss became the first coach in league history to be named the ACC Coach of the Year in four-straight seasons, doubling his predecessor Jay Vidovich (2008-09; 2020-21) and former U.S. Men's National Team coach Bruce Arena (1988-89) as the only others to win that award in consecutive seasons.


Muuss led the Demon Deacons to back-to-back ACC Championships in 2016 and 2017, just the second and third tournament trophies in program history, as well as four-straight ACC Atlantic Division crowns.


Previously an assistant coach at Wake Forest from 2001-07, Muuss returned to the Demon Deacons as the program's fourth head coach on Jan. 8, 2015. Muuss spent the previous eight years serving as head coach at the University of Denver from 2007-14.


The Deacs have also sent 26 student-athletes into the MLS ranks in eight seasons under Muuss. Wake Forest was the only program to have a first-round MLS SuperDraft selection from 2015-21. Additionally, Wake Forest’s nine homegrown signings since 2017 are most in the country over the last five years.


During the 2022 season, Wake Forest collected a 14-6-0 overall record and a 12th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Starting the season 9-0-0, Wake Forest was the only program in the country to finish August and September without suffering a loss or draw. In a 6-1 victory over George Mason on Sept. 20, Wake Forest set a new program record with 13 consecutive home wins. Seven Demon Deacons earned ACC honors and the team hosted three postseason matches at Spry Stadium.


Returning to a fall-only schedule in 2021, the Demon Deacons collected the program's 11th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a seventh-straight trip to the Sweet Sixteen. During the regular season, Wake Forest collected victories over top-five foes Pitt and Virginia Tech along with a 7-0 outcome against Patriot League champions Loyola Maryland. Wake Forest also scored two victories in the NCAA Tournament against Mercer and FIU.


During a unique split season in 2020-21, Muuss lead the Demon Deacons to a 13-3-2 record, highlighted by a run to the Elite Eight with a roster that was compiled of mostly freshmen and sophomores in the spring. In the fall, Wake Forest was ranked No. 1 in the country for four weeks and clinched the No. 1 seed out of the one-time South Region which featured North Carolina, Clemson, Duke and NC State. The Demon Deacons had six players from the fall roster turn professional including two sign Homegrown Contracts (Machop Chol with Atlanta United and Isaiah Parente with the Columbus Crew).


Wake Forest returned to the College Cup in 2019 thanks to an NCAA Tournament run which included wins over defending national champion Maryland in addition to Michigan and UC Santa Barbara. The Deacs earned the No. 4 national seed, becoming the first team to receive a top-four seed in five straight seasons since seeding began in 1994. Wake Forest concluded the campaign with a 16-5-2 overall record and No. 3 national ranking.


The 2018 Demon Deacons finished with an 18-3-0 overall record, claiming the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest opened the year with 11-straight wins and beat six top-25 opponents en route to a fourth-straight ACC Atlantic Division crown. The Deacs claimed ACC Coach of the Year, ACC Offensive Player of the Year (Omir Fernandez) and ACC Midfielder of the Year (Bruno Lapa) honors.


In 2017, Muuss guided the Deacs to a 19-2-2 overall record and a 7-0-1 mark in the ACC. By winning the ACC Championship for the second-straight year, Wake Forest became the first team in the league to finish the ACC regular season and Championship undefeated since 1999. The Deacs were rewarded with ACC Offensive Player of the Year (Jon Bakero) and Defensive Player of the Year (Kevin Politz) honors, as each was also named an All-American, while the coaching staff was named the Region Staff of the Year for the second-straight season.


His 2016 Demon Deacons finished the year with a 19-3-3 overall record and claimed the program's first ACC Tournament title since 1989, just the second in program history.


He coached three first team NSCAA All-Americans in 2016 - Jacori Hayes, Ian Harkes and Alec Ferrell - marking the first time in team history three Deacs have earned the honor in the same season. Harkes also claimed the MAC Hermann Trophy - the top individual award in college soccer - becoming just the second Deacon all-time to accomplish that feat.


Hayes was named the Men's Soccer Senior CLASS Award winner, becoming the second in program history, while Harkes was the first player in conference history named the ACC Midfielder of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP and NCAA College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player in program history. Hayes and Ferrell were selected in the MLS SuperDraft, while Harkes signed a homegrown deal with D.C. United.


In Muuss' first season at Wake Forest, he engineered one of the most successful seasons the program has seen in guiding the Demon Deacons to a 17-3-2 record to go with a regular-season ACC championship and a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championship as the tournament's No. 1 overall seed. At season's end, Muuss was named the ACC's Coach of the Year, becoming the fourth coach in conference history to earn the honor in his first season with the team.


During the 2015 season, Muuss helped Jack Harrison become the first player in ACC men's soccer history to earn conference Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season. Harrison scored a team-high eight goals and 11 assists for 27 points on his way to being named a NSCAA First Team All-American and MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist.


At the end of the 2015 season, both Harrison and Gamble were selected in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. Harrison became Wake Forest's first men's soccer player taken No. 1 overall by the Chicago Fire while Gamble was picked 30th overall by the New England Revolution.


In his eight seasons at Denver, Muuss compiled an overall record of 74-56-25 with a 39-20-10 mark in Summit League play. He was named Summit League Coach of the Year in 2013 after guiding the Pioneers to a 13-3-4 record and a perfect 6-0-0 mark in conference play. Under his leadership, Denver won Summit League titles in 2013 and 2014 and captured the league tournament title both seasons, earning back-to-back bids to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.


In his final two seasons at Denver, Muuss won 17-straight games. He coached Zach Bolden to a four-round selection in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, where he was selected by the Chicago Fire. It marked the fifth Pioneer to be taken in the last six drafts. During his tenure with the Pioneers, Muuss had three players earn CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.


Before Denver, Muuss spent six seasons at Wake Forest as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Vidovich. He helped land top-20 recruiting classes in each of his six years. During that time, Wake Forest made the NCAA Tournament each season, including twice as the nation's top-ranked team.


Muuss worked closely with Deacon goalie Brian Edwards, who set school records with 13 shutouts in 2006 and 31 in his career. He also coached standout players such as Michael Parkhurst, Sam Cronin, James Riley and Stephen Keel.


Prior to his stint at Wake Forest, Muuss was a volunteer assistant at Connecticut. While there, the Huskies won the 2000 national championship, three BIG EAST regular season titles and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.


A native of East Islip, New York, Muuss transferred to UConn from Southern Connecticut State and earned his undergraduate degree in the spring of 1999 in communication science. While at Southern, Muuss was a member of the 1995 Division II National Championship team.


Muuss and his wife, Melodie, reside in Winston-Salem with their three children, Camryn, Blayklee and Ryland.

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Dane Brenner

Dane Brenner completed his 12th season with the Wake Forest men's soccer program in 2022 after being hired onto the staff prior to the 2011 season. He was elevated to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2018 campaign.


At Wake Forest, Brenner works primarily with the team's defensive unit and goalkeepers while also serving as the program's recruiting coordinator.


Over his last eight seasons, Wake Forest has made five trips to the NCAA quarterfinals and two trips to the NCAA College Cup. The Deacs have won the ACC Atlantic Division four times, as well as back-to-back ACC Championships in 2016 and 2017.


Brenner was a key part of the coaching staff which has earned United Soccer Coaches Region Staff of the Year in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.


Over the last eight years, the Deacs won 129 matches, more than any other Division I program over that span. The Deacs have sent 26 players to the MLS as well, including 15 MLS SuperDraft selections and nine homegrown signees.


The 2016 Deacs conceded just 11 goals, fewest in program history.


Brenner has helped Andreu Cases Mundet become a standout between the posts early in his career. He broke the program record for goals-against average with a mark of 0.49 in 2017, and his mark of 12 shutouts was one off the school record.


Brenner also oversaw the development of keeper Alec Ferrell, who finished his career with a 0.89 goals-against average and .797 save percentage en route to becoming the first goalkeeper selected in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by Minnesota United FC.


After the 2015 season, Brenner was named the NSCAA's Glenn "Mooch" Myernick National Assistant Coach of the Year and the organization's South Region Assistant Coach of the Year.


Before joining the Demon Deacons, Brenner served as an assistant coach at Connecticut for four years. During his time with the Huskies, the program posted at 54-14-17 record. While at UConn, Brenner aided the development of Josh Ford, an All-American and All-BIG EAST goalkeeper for the Huskies. Ford ultimately recorded 50 shutouts and was selected No. 11 overall in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft by Seattle Sounders FC.


While at UConn, Brenner also worked with student-athletes on and off the field, as well as assisting in ticket sales with local youth clubs, team travel and game promotions. He also helped with goalkeeper training after a successful Division I collegiate career at South Florida.


All in all, Brenner's teams in 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Wake Forest and Connecticut have never missed the NCAA Tournament. His best runs in the tournament came in a 2016 College Cup runner-up finish, Elite Eight runs in 2007, 2015 and 2017, and Sweet 16 appearances in 2008 and 2013.


Brenner graduated from South Florida in 2006 and went on trial with the Chicago Fire in the spring of 2007. At USF, he was a four-year starter and a three-time captain for the Bulls. Brenner was chosen as an All-Conference USA goalkeeper in 2004 and led USF to the BIG EAST regular season championship title in 2005 in the Bulls' first year in the conference.


Brenner posted a career-best 0.80 GAA in 2006 with 74 saves while ranking No. 24 in the nation in save percentage (.822). In 2005, he started and played in a career-best 20 games and recorded a 1.36 GAA while notching a 13-6-1 record.


During the 2004 season, Brenner was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Third Team and earned a spot on the All-Conference USA Second Team.


A native of High Point, North Carolina, Brenner played club for the PSA Stars before playing at South Florida. He graduated in 2006 with a degree in Sociology. In 2010, he received his Master's in Kinesiology-Sport Management from UConn.

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Steve Armas

Steve Armas completed his eighth season at Wake Forest in 2022, and was elevated to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2018 season.


He was hired by Bobby Muuss as an assistant on May 7, 2015. Armas joined the Demon Deacon staff after spending the previous nine years at Campbell University, spending five as the team's head coach from 2010-14.


Over his first eight seasons, Wake Forest has made five trips to the NCAA quarterfinals and two trips to the NCAA College Cup. The Deacs have won the ACC Atlantic Division four times, as well as back-to-back ACC Championships in 2016 and 2017.


Armas was a key part of the coaching staff which has earned United Soccer Coaches Region Staff of the Year in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.


Through his first eight years, the Deacs have won 129 games, more than any other Division I program over that span. The Deacs have sent 26 players to the MLS as well, including 15 MLS SuperDraft selections and nine homegrown signees.


Armas has coached back-to-back MAC Hermann Trophy winners in Jon Bakero and Ian Harkes, as well as Jack Harrison, the first overall pick of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.


The 2017 Demon Deacons finished with a 19-2-2 overall record and 7-0-1 mark in the ACC. By winning the ACC Championship, Wake Forest became the first team in the league to finish the ACC regular season and Championship undefeated since 1999. The Deacs were rewarded with ACC Offensive Player of the Year (Jon Bakero) and Defensive Player of the Year (Kevin Politz) honors, as each was also named an All-American.


The 2016 Demon Deacons finished the year with a 19-3-3 overall record and claimed the program's first ACC Tournament title since 1989, just the second in program history. Armas coached three first team NSCAA All-Americans in 2016 - Jacori Hayes, Ian Harkes and Alec Ferrell - marking the first time in team history three Deacs have earned the honor in the same season. Harkes also claimed the MAC Hermann Trophy - the top individual award in college soccer - becoming just the second Deacon all-time to accomplish that feat.


In his first season with Wake Forest, Armas helped guide the Demon Deacons to one of the best seasons in program history. Overall, the Deacs went 17-3-2 and won the ACC regular-season title for the first time since 2009. Wake Forest went on to earn the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made a run to the Elite Eight.


Before joining Wake Forest, Armas helped guide the Fighting Camels to three conference championships, the team's first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament and a year-end national ranking at the Division I level. In five seasons, Armas amassed a record of 37-46-12.


At Campbell, Armas coached four MLS SuperDraft selections in Mitchell Cardenas (2013, Kansas City Wizards), Travis Golden (2014, D.C. United), Richard Jata (2009, Chicago Fire) and Willy Guadarrama (2007, Kansas City Wizards in MLS Supplemental Draft). More recently, Armas helped the development of Scooter Oliver, Campbell's first-ever Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's soccer in 2013. He also coached Bradley Farias, Campbell's first conference Freshman of the Year award since the 1993 season.


As an assistant at Campbell, Armas helped develop two Atlantic Sun Players of the Year in Vince Petrasso and Richard Jata. He also coached the 2007 A-Sun Freshman of the Year (Josue Soto and the 2007 A-Sun Tournament MVP (Petrasso).


Prior to his arrival at Campbell, Armas spent two years as an assistant coach for both Greensboro College and the Carolina Dynamo of the United Soccer League's Premier Development League (PDL).


While at Greensboro, Armas helped the program to a 2005 USA South Conference tournament championship and a second round NCAA Tournament appearance. With the Dynamo, Armas coached some of the best Division I collegiate players in the country, including Wake Forest alumni Sam Cronin, Justin Moose, Jamie Franks, Brian Edwards, Wells Thompson and Michael Lahoud. Each player has gone on to play professionally. His 2006 Dynamo squad included three Hermann Trophy candidates.


A native of Germantown, Maryland, Armas played collegiately at Maryland from 1995-98 and graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in Spanish Language and Literature. He finished his career with 11 goals and 17 assists and ranks seventh among the school's career assist leaders. He helped lead Maryland to an ACC Tournament title and captained the team to an NCAA College Cup appearance, where Armas was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.


Armas had an impressive professional career that included stints with various clubs competing in Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League First and Second divisions. Armas played with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL2, where he helped the team capture the Atlantic Division and regular-season championship. Armas spent the 2003 season with the Carolina Dynamo (USL2) where he played 17 games, scored five goals and had 16 assists to help Carolina capture the regular-season championship.


Drafted by the New England Revolution in 1999, Armas played with the Columbus Crew and Tampa Bay Mutiny of the MLS while playing with USL First division clubs in the Atlanta Silverbacks, Minnesota Thunder and Cincinnati Riverhawks. He played in the U-17 World Cup in Japan and also participated at the U-18, U-20 and U-23 national team levels.


Armas has also been especially active with the youth club community. He coached the '92 Elite team of the Capital Area Soccer League (CASL) for two years, which won the NCYSA State cup in 2010 and had a final four appearance in 2011. He also coached the '92 Navy team with Triangle Futbol Club for two years in 2007 and 2008, guiding the group to two final four appearances and one championship in the NCYSA state cup. He also helped the team to two championships at the Jefferson Cup in Richmond, Virginia, and anther appearance in the finals at the esteemed Disney Showcase in Orlando, Florida.


Additionally, Armas spent three years as a head and assistant coach with the North Carolina Olympic Development Program '93 Boys State Team. Armas holds a USSF "A" Coaching License.


Armas and his wife, Sarah, have two sons, James and Alexander.

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Ade Taiwo

Ade Taiwo currently serves in the role of assistant coach after joining the Wake Forest men's soccer coaching staff in 2022. He spent the 2022 season as a volunteer before being promoted to assistant coach in 2023.


In his first season with the Demon Deacons, Wake Forest collected a 14-6-0 overall record and a 12th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Starting the season 9-0-0, Wake Forest was the only program in the country to finish August and September without suffering a loss or draw. In a 6-1 victory over George Mason on Sept. 20, Wake Forest set a new program record with 13 consecutive home wins. Seven Demon Deacons earned ACC honors and the team hosted three postseason matches at Spry Stadium.


From 2019-22, Taiwo was the Assistant Director of Challenge Select and Juniors for Wake Futbol Club in Holly Spring, N.C.


As a student-athlete at NC State from 2014-18, Taiwo appeared in 54 matches with 25 starts, collecting 19 points on seven goals and five assists. Playing a career-high 782 minutes, Taiwo in 2017 helped lead NC State to the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009.


A native of Raleigh, N.C., Taiwo graduated from NC State in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication.

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