Wake Forest Women's Soccer Enters Conference Play on Three-Game Unbeaten Run

Demon Deacons earn road win, home draw to go 5-1-1 on season

Wake Forest Women's Soccer earned its first road win of the season in Charleston, S.C., when they took down the Cougars, 2-0. | Courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

No. 17-ranked Wake Forest Women's Soccer took on a pair of non-conference opponents within the past week, earning the team's first away victory of the young season, and defending Spry Stadium with a late equalizer.

After being ranked in the top 10 during the preseason, the Demon Deacons looked to regroup after an away loss to Mississippi State. Ever since, stellar play from sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral, as well as quick attacks from the likes of sophomore Lola Ressler and freshman Allie Flanagan, has allowed Head Coach Tony da Luz's squad to adjust this season.

Road Ready

The Demon Deacons earned their first road win of the season against the College of Charleston, 2-0, notching a second straight clean sheet and scoring multiple goals in a game for the third time this season.

Sophomore forward Chloe Burst served as the Demon Deacons' main weapon early, substituting in during the 31st minute of play and launching a shot on target at Charleston goalkeeper Ainsley Chunn within twenty seconds of Burst stepping on the field. The shot went down as the Demon Deacons' only shot on net during the first half of play.

After the halftime whistle, though, came offensive intensity. Burst earned her first career goal within the first three minutes of the second half, playing off a pass from Ressler and blasting a shot to the bottom right of the net. Twenty minutes later, freshman Allie Flanagan was able to notch her second goal of the season, putting the Demon Deacons up 2-0.

"We made some adjustments just before halftime and executed very well in the second half," Head Coach Tony da Luz said via post-match statement. "It was great to see [Chloe Burst] perform so well and get her first goal."

Amaral was able to maintain yet another clean sheet, her fifth of the season. The Cougars were able to get off ten shots, including six of which shot on net and were saved by the sophomore.

"Getting another shutout shows we’re taking pride in team defense," da Luz said. "We were resilient on the road, which is a good sign for our future."

A Late Equalizer

Courtesy of Wake Forest Athletics

The Demon Deacons returned to Winston-Salem on Sunday afternoon, taking on the Brown Bears in their last test before the start of conference play in the midweek.

Despite a barrage of first-half shots from the Bears, Amaral was able to keep the ball out of her own net for the first 45 minutes, going into halftime with no goals allowed. Ressler and Flanagan each had shots on net in the first half, however nothing made its way into the net for either team.

Twenty minutes into the second half, the Bears were able to score their only goal of the night, with Jael-Marie Guy getting the ball towards the left of the net and past Amaral. The score represented Amaral's first goal allowed in over 200 minutes of match play for the sophomore.

"Brown is a really good team, and put us under a lot of pressure," da Luz said post-match.

With less than five minutes remaining, da Luz's squad linked up beautifully in build-up for an equalizer. Sierra Sythe, Kylie Maxwell, and Ressler each had multiple touches before Ressler launched a shot from twenty yards out, rocketing the ball to the top right corner and equalizing the match late in the second half.

“I’m proud of our kids for showing resilience and fighting to tie the game," da Luz said. "It was a tough week driving down to Charleston on Thursday, so this result shows we can fight at Spry [Stadium]... this was a great preparation game for our conference opener on Wednesday against Miami.”

The Demon Deacons will host the Hurricanes on Wednesday, Sept. 10th at 8 p.m. Coverage can be found on ACC Network.