CARY, N.C. — The newly anointed No. 1-ranked team in the nation did yesterday what any top program needs to do on occasion to maintain supremacy: win while not at its best.

Despite playing sluggishly at times throughout the game, the ACC tournament’s No. 1-seeded Terrapin men’s soccer team prevailed over No. 8 Wake Forest, 2-1, in the quarterfinals at SAS Soccer Complex.

“In the end it was a disappointing performance by our team, but the fact that we found a way to win the game shows me once again that this team is made of the right stuff,” coach Sasho Cirovski said. “We’ll be better on Friday.”

With the win, the Terps (15-3-1) have an 11-game unbeaten streak heading into the semifinals tomorrow against No. 5 Duke, which beat No. 4 Virginia Tech 2-0 yesterday.

After uncharacteristically being held without a shot in the first half, senior forward Jason Garey tallied the eventual game-winning goal on his first attempt with 25 minutes left in the game.

As sophomore midfielder Stephen King advanced the ball from midfield to freshman forward Graham Zusi – who just entered the game – Garey went on a short run toward the goal, received a beautifully timed pass from Zusi and converted the one-timer.

“I was yelling as loud as I could so he could hear me, and he played a great ball and I was able to finish it,” said Garey, who now has an ACC-leading 19 goals and six game-winners. “But he made the whole goal and did the hard work.”

One of three substitutes used by Cirovski, Zusi played just 16 total minutes.

“Sasho always tells us that he expects players to go in and ignite a spark, and I am glad I was the one to do it today,” Zusi said.

In the first half, the Terps frequently had trouble with their ball-handling and lacked their usual crisp passing attack.

While the Terps’ offense wasn’t always in high gear, the defense proved to be steady as always. Besides a successful penalty kick attempt, the Demon Deacons failed to put a single shot on goal.

Freshman goalkeeper Chris Seitz again received plenty of help from his backline, as seniors Kenney Bertz and Michael Dello-Russo each blocked potential game-tying shot attempts in the final ten minutes.

Each team’s first-half goal came on a penalty kick resulting from a questionable foul call in the box. Sophomore midfielder Stephen King converted for the Terps and Wake Forest’s Steven Curfman beat Seitz.

Gaining the top spot Tuesday in the NSCAA rankings for the first time since their one-week September stay last year, the Terps improved to 7-3 all-time when carrying that title.

It’s not a stretch to say that if the Terps want to hold onto their ranking for longer this season, a better performance against the Blue Devils will be required.

Contact reporter Daniel Chiat at chiatdbk@gmail.com.