A three-goal second half helped Salem City FC (2-0-1) defeat Wake FC (0-3-0), 4-1, on Saturday night at Truist Soccer Park in Winston-Salem.

Despite playing without leading scorer Shane Anderson, who was a late scratch due to hamstring tightness in training, four different Salem City players combined to lift the Beast past Wake FC in comfortable fashion. 

An early corner kick, five minutes in, produced a prime chance for Salem City in front of goal, but all four shots were blocked by Wake’s defense. Instead, a cleared ball led to an opportunity for Wake FC on the opposite end. 

A few nifty passes, including a through ball into the box, led Wake into a dangerous position before finishing a shot past Salem City keeper Sean Bohan at the near post. 

After trailing within the first 10 minutes, Salem City responded with an offensive storm in search of the equalizer. The Beast fired off 10 shots — seven on goal — before finding the back of the net. 

It was midfielder Cooper Flax who played forward Guilherme Fontes in behind with a crafty flick toward the penalty spot. From there, Fontes tucked away the opportunity to the far post to tie the game in the 20th minute. 

“We are so strong mentally that I think we can always overcome [slow starts] and that’s a really good, positive thing for our team,” Fontes said. 

Salem City continued its offensive barrage for the rest of the first half. The Beast recorded 16 shots and six corners in the first 45 minutes, but despite multiple chances created, couldn’t produce a second goal before the break. 

Similar play in the second half reaped more opportunities, but the go-ahead goal took over 25 minutes to arrive. When it did, it came in emphatic fashion. 

A corner-kick delivery by Fontes in the 68th minute hooked the ball near the front post, where Zakaria Daaou rose to meet it. Mid-air, Daauo steered the ball on frame with a header that found the back of the net and lifted Salem City into the lead. 

“In order to score from set pieces, you have to have the right timing and you also have to have incredible delivery, and we had both,” head coach Chris Williams said. “[Fontes] delivered a fantastic ball, [Daaou] great flick onto the near post and scored. I thought he was superb today.” 

The Beast held Wake FC to only one shot after taking the lead — a weak attempt wide of the post. The majority of possession stayed in Wake’s defensive half, where a giveaway by Wake FC keeper Peter Morano led to a Salem City brace in the final 10 minutes. After stealing the ball, striker Daaou maneuvered his way into a 1-on-1 with Morano before passing it off to Daniel Martinez for a tap-in. 

Three minutes later, a half-volley strike from Raul Canas put the exclamation point on the 4-1 rout for Salem City. 

“Once we got the ball in the net and got up 2-1, that took the weight off our shoulders and we could play freely,” Daaou said. “From there, the game really changed, and we controlled it completely.” 

Next Up: 

Salem City FC will host Tobacco Road FC at home on Wednesday night in its next matchup. The game, scheduled for kick-off at 7 PM, is the make-up date from May 14th’s season opener, which was postponed due to rain.