The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-4-4) kept their season alive last Friday, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-5-5) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With the victory, the Deacs moved
to 9-0-3 on the season at home in what will likely be their final game at Spry this year. It is the 16th time that Wake has gone to the second week of NCAA Tournament play under coach Tony da Luz. They are set to take on the 2-seed Michigan State Spartans (13-3-6) of the Big Ten in East Lansing after the Spartans dispatched of Milwaukee 4-1 in the first round. For the Gamecocks, this was an extremely disappointing way to end their season, as they looked to be in line for a top 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament in October, but they went 0-4-1 down the stretch of their season and were bounced in the first round of both the SEC and NCAA Tournament. This game was one they will certainly want back as well, as it was a tight contest between two very stingy teams, but the Deacs were able to take advantage of their chances while the Gamecocks did not.
In the first half, the Gamecocks largely dictating play, dominating possession and hemming the Deacs in their own end. However, it was Wake that opened the score. A point of emphasis for the Deacs in this game was set pieces, as the Gamecocks have had issues defending them of late. In the 15th minute, Sierra Sythe looked to put South Carolina to the test with a great inswinging ball from a corner kick. Kylie Maxwell was able to bundle a shot towards goal with her knee that took a deflection on its way through before defender Micah Bryant cleared it off of the line. However, Bryant’s clearance came off the post and right back into her feet on the goal line, and Maxwell followed the play in and jammed the ball into the back of the net for her 6th goal of the season to give the Deacs an early lead. From there, South Carolina really pushed to get back into the game, and they had several opportunities to do so, but they each would go by the wayside. In the 23rd minute, Wake center back Sammi Wiemann committed a foul just outside the area, giving the Gamecocks a dangerous free kick opportunity, but midfielder Cuyler Zulauf couldn’t bend her effort inside the post. In the 24th minute, some heroics from Valentina Amaral kept the Gamecocks off the board, as a wonderful knockdown from SC forward Katie Shea Collins landed at the feet of Mackenzie Johnson just outside the 6 yard box, but a brilliant kick save from Amaral denied Johnson from close range. In the 28th minute, Amaral came up huge again against Johnson, making another point blank kick save after some lovely interplay between Katie Shea Collins and Maggie Taitano sprung Johnson in on goal. The flag did come up for offside on this play, but it looked as if Johnson would have been ruled onside on video review if Amaral had not intervened to keep the ball out of the net. While South Carolina really pushed the Deacs in the 15 minutes following the goal, Wake was able to settle things down and grow into the game in the last 15 minutes of the half. They nearly doubled their lead in the 39th minute, as a wonderful Sierra Sythe cross into the area found her fullback partner Brooke Miller completely unmarked at the back post, but Miller couldn’t get enough on the ball to direct her shot goalwards. When the whistle blew to end the first half, though, the Deacs would be up.
To start the second half, it was the Deacs who were the aggressors, as they were able to keep possession a bit more and push the Gamecocks back towards their own goal. In the 60th minute, they nearly doubled their lead through a set piece play straight off the training ground, as Sierra Sythe drove the ball along the ground to the top of the box from a corner kick, with midfielder Lola Ressler dummying to allow Alex Wood to take a shot towards goal, but her effort went agonizingly wide after a deflection off of a Gamecock defender on the way through. From the ensuing corner, though, the Deacs would double their lead with a goal that was almost identical to their first, with Sierra Sythe looping an inswinger to Kylie Maxwell, who once again bundled it towards goal. This time, it was Maggie Taitano who was able to clear it off the line, but Sammi Wiemann was there to clean up the rebound, stabbing it into the back of the net for her first collegiate goal, making it 2-0. South Carolina would not go quietly, though, as they began to retake control of the game after Wake doubled the lead. Valentina Amaral was called into action again in the 63rd minute, beating away an odd angle shot from Katie Shea Collins to keep the score level, but, in the 64th minute, there was nothing the Demon Deacon goalkeeper could do to keep Cuyler Zulauf off of the scoresheet, as the Gamecock midfielder struck a thunderbolt into the top corner from near 30 yards out for her 6th goal of the season, halving the Deacs’ lead. The Gamecocks looked to push on for an equalizer and nearly got it in the 67th minute through Mackenzie Johnson, who found herself unmarked at the penalty spot from a Cuyler Zulauf cross, allowing her to settle the ball and strike it goalwards. Her effort got past Amaral, but it struck the post and spun back across goal, where Brooke Miller was able to clear the ball off the line before another Gamecock could get a touch to it. From there, though, the Deacs saw the game off, dropping into a deeper block and preventing South Carolina from getting the ball into dangerous areas. They spent most of the final 5 minutes killing clock in the Gamecocks’ end, and, when the final whistle went, the Deacs would be the team to move on to the next round.
For this Wake group, it was a postseason memory to cherish, and, despite their inexperience, they showed a lot of composure at the end of this game to see out the result they needed. There are a few player of the match contenders in this game, with Kylie Maxwell and Sierra Sythe each having a hand in both goals, Sammi Wiemann having an excellent defensive performance and adding her first collegiate goal to her ledger, and even South Carolina’s Cuyler Zulauf making a case with her beautiful goal and the chances she created for her teammates throughout the match. In my opinion, though, the player of the match in this game was Valentina Amaral. Amaral only recorded 3 saves in the game, but they were all impressive, and, ultimately, critical to the Deacs advancing to the next round.
The Demon Deacons will travel to East Lansing on Thursday, 11/17, to take on Michigan State in the second round. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM EST, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
