Wake Forest Is the Only School With This Soccer Honor
In the world of Wake Forest soccer, both the men's and women's teams carved out their piece of success in 2024. The men made a surprise march through the ACC Tournament, winning their fourth championship in program history, and the women had arguably their best season in history, making their second College Cup and finishing as national runners-up.
While the two teams continued their excellence on the pitch last season, that doesn't always mean the same is in store for the following campaign. However, both Wake Forest soccer programs are shining bright with nation-leading expectations in 2025.
Wake Soccer Rankings Are Twice as Nice
It's not every day that you find a school's soccer team in the top 10. And it's highly unusual for a school to have both its soccer teams in the top 10. This year, Wake Forest is highly unusual.
With the preseason rankings out, the women's team is ranked 10th in the nation, and the men sit at sixth. Wake Forest is the only school in the country to have both teams in the preseason top 10. If you take a look at the squads, it would be no surprise as to why they are ranked so highly.
Wake Women's Soccer Outlook
The dominance of their 2024 season is a performance to remember. Their seven ACC victories are the most in program history, while their three NCAA All-Americans nearly doubled the previous all-time tally of five. Caiya Hanks, Emily Colton, and Zara Chavoshi, the All-Americans, are now all professional soccer players.
Success is a familiar face on the women's soccer team. 2024 marked their 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, and their third in the last four seasons. Of course, 2024 was special as the Deacs made it to their first national championship, where they fell to the UNC Tar Heels 0–1.
Head Coach Tony da Luz is entering his 29th season with Wake Forest and has no intentions of relinquishing his team's title as a perennial powerhouse. Under his leadership, the Demon Deacons competed in the NCAA Tournament in all but six seasons.
The women's team has already started its battle to return to Cary for the College Cup. They took down the SMU Mustangs 2–0 on Aug. 14, and have matches against LSU and Villanova to round out their beginning home stand.
Wake Men's Soccer Outlook
The storied history of Wake Forest Men's Soccer dates far back. 2025 was their 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 24 seasons. They have been to six College Cups in the last 20 years, finishing as national runners-up in 2016, and brought home the program's only national championship in 2007.
Given their rich history, it isn't surprising that the Demon Deacons made it through the ACC Tournament, took down the Clemson Tigers, and reached yet another NCAA Tournament. They made it to the Quarterfinals before falling to the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, 0–3.
2025 is no different for Wake Forest's plan to be the cream of the crop. Their first regular-season action comes on Aug. 21 at Spry Stadium, where they will face the Maryland Terrapins.
The Fall Anchor
Uncertainty fills the air for much of Wake Forest's fall athletic calendar, but soccer is the definite exception. The standard of excellence at Spry Stadium will continue for another year, as the two programs continue to pump out top-level talent and dominant seasons.
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Blake is a Sophomore at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. When not living on campus, he resides in West Virginia, where he was born and raised. He is studying communication and is invested in all things related to sports media. In his Freshman year, he completed an internship with the National Sports Media Association, and also worked as a sports editor at Wake Forest's student-run newspaper, the Old Gold & Black. Currently, Blake does play-by-play broadcasting for Wake Forest Club Ice Hockey and holds a job at Learfield, working as a studio host. In a perfect world, he would spend his free time road tripping and attending concerts all across the United States.
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