Virginia Tech Women's Soccer Drops Third Straight ACC Game, Falls to No. 16 Wake Forest

The Hokies lost, 2-1, to No. 16 Wake Forest on Thursday evening.

Natalie Mitchell in 2-1 loss to Wake Forest. | Virginia Tech Athletics

Virginia Tech women's soccer created a plethora of chances but could not find the equalizer in a 2-1 loss to No. 16 Wake Forest Thursday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Final from Wake Forest: Hokies 1, Demon Deacons 2#Hokies pic.twitter.com/z2B28qORHz

— Virginia Tech Women's Soccer (@HokiesWSoccer) September 19, 2025

The Hokies (4-5-2, 0-3 ACC) started the scoring against the Demon Deacons (8-1-1, 2-0-0) early. By the seventh minute of the game, Virginia Tech had already earned its third corner of the game and capitalized. Hannah Pachan took the corner and the ball deflected off a Wake Forest defender to the top of the box for Natalie Mitchell, who notched her fourth goal of the year.

The momentum quickly shifted in the 14th minute when Wake Forest was awarded its first corner of the game. Sierra Sythe took the corner and Hannah Johnson was the first to head the ball, placing it near Allie Flanagan. Virginia Tech’s goalkeeper, Lauren Hargrove was expecting and playing for Flanagan to deflect the ball, but it was out of reach for her and the ball trickled past Hargrove.

Just 27 seconds later, Wake Forest struck again. After regaining possession after the kickoff, Carly Wilson played a long through ball to Kylie Maxwell, who made a beeline towards Hargrove. Maxwell took a strike, which glanced off Hargrove. Maxwell was able to get her own rebound and buried it in the back of the net to give Wake Forest the lead.

The Hokies did not let the back-to-back goals fluster them. In the 21st minute, Tech earned its 5th corner of the game, which was deflected to Mitchell, who hit it a few feet above the cross bar.

Wake Forest possessed a dangerous chance in the 28th minute when Flanagan was fouled a few yards outside the box. Sythe took the free kick and is able to clear the Hokie wall but is caught by a diving Hargrove. Wake Forest had six shots on goal in the first half; the Demon Deacons did not control the ball often in the first 45 minutes, but when they did, they made it count.

Hargrove played well Thursday, making a difficult reaction save in the 32nd minute after a cross to Sythe's right foot.

In the second half, Virginia Tech pressed the issue in an attempt to find the equalizer. Seven minutes into the second half, Taylor Price, from inside the box, puts a really strong strike on the ball but it goes off the corner of the goal. Virginia Tech got its own rebound for what could have been the equalizer, but play was stopped due to an injured Dempsey Brown, who was fouled by Anna Weir. Brown was able to stay in the game.

A few minutes later, Price gets possession of the ball near the edge of the top of the box and played it forward to a sliding Mitchell, who bounced it off Wake Forest's goalkeeper Valentina Amaral. Weir received the rebound and tries to chip it over a downed Amaral, but struck it to the right of the goal and out of play.

In the final minute of the game, Virginia Tech earned a corner with less than 10 seconds remaining, but time expired before they are able to get the corner off.

With the victory, Wake Forest has notched its second ACC victory in as many games, and is now unbeaten at home in its last 13 matches at Spry Stadium. The Hokies fall to 0-3 in conference play and will look to pick up their first ACC victory on Sunday as they welcome NC State to Thompson Field. The game will start at 7 p.m. ET; coverage will be on the ACC Network Extra.