The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-1-2, 2-0-1 ACC) are now more than halfway into the 2025 women’s soccer season, and, as their ACC schedule picks up, they are bringing some momentum into the business end
of their schedule. After an incredible 2024 season that included 4 top 5 wins, a second ever trip to the College Cup, and ended in an agonizing 1-0 defeat in the national championship game against perennial champions UNC, there were a lot of questions heading into this year for Wake. This season, the Deacs have remained among the top teams in the sport and currently occupy the 19th spot in the United Soccer Coaches Poll after beginning the season at #10. They are accompanied by 6 other ACC teams in the Top 25, with #1 UVA, #2 Notre Dame, #3 Stanford, #6 FSU, #9 Duke, and #22 UNC also appearing in the most recent rankings. There is no two ways about it, last year’s team put together one of the best seasons in program history, if not the best, and it will be a challenge for this year’s team to reach those same heights. With that said, for Wake, this year presents an opportunity to firmly establish itself as one of the nation’s top programs as they look for a 4th ACC Tournament appearance in the last 5 years and another deep run in the NCAA Tournament come November.
Roster Turnover
Tony da Luz and his staff had their work cut out for them this offseason with this roster. Of the 15 players to play in the national championship last December, only 5 returned to the team this year, and only 2 of those players started that game. In total, the Deacs saw 20 departures from their program this past offseason, including their four top scorers, MAC Hermann Finalist Caiya Hanks, and the three Emilys: Colton (All-ACC 2nd Team), Murphy (All-ACC 2nd Team), and Morris. The Deacs also lost 4 members of a back 5 that surrendered only 16 goals across 24 games last season, with 4th team All-American Zara Chavoshi, Laurel Ansbrow, Kristin Johnson, Abbie Colton all graduating. With the Deacs also having lost key midfielders Nikki Small, Malaika Meena, and Anna Swanson, there was not really any part of the field that did not need attention this offseason.
Coach da Luz, now the ACC’s longest tenured head coach, and his staff put together a 16-player recruiting class to attempt to replicate what was a golden generation for women’s soccer at Wake Forest. This class included 3 transfers: graduate goalkeeper Victoria Coninck from George Mason, junior defender Addison Roberts from Oklahoma State, and, the most highly regarded player of this class, fullback/winger Brooke Miller from Portland. The remaining 13-player freshman class is headlined by 2025 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year winger Kylie Maxwell, former Real Madrid midfielder Alejandra Gomez, former Club Leon forward Elliana Ramirez, Armenia youth national Tahlia Zadeyan, and highly regarded winger Allie Flanagan out of Virginia. The cupboards were also not completely bare for the Deacs heading into this season, as they returned the #17 class of the 2024 recruiting cycle, as well as team captain fullback Sophie Faircloth, who missed each of the previous two seasons with injury.
The Story So Far
Even with significant turnover, the Deacs have not skipped a beat. They actually hold a better record at this point in the season (8-1-2) than they held last year (7-2-2). Their lone defeat came by a score of 2-1 on the road against #15 Mississippi State, who currently stand at 7-1-1 and hold a victory over #5 Tennessee. Other than that, the Deacs’ only other two hiccups came at the hands of Brown at Spry in a 1-1 draw, one that Wake salvaged late through a Lola Ressler strike from distance, and a 0-0 draw this past Sunday against Boston College in Newton, MA in an eventful but ultimately scoreless clash. On the whole, though, the Deacs have kept up their high standard of play this season. They have kept 6 clean sheets across their 11 games so far, and their new look attack has not skipped a beat, as the Deacs have managed 21 goals to this point. They navigated their non-conference schedule well, most notably weathering some pressure to earn a 1-0 victory at home over an LSU team that is angling for an at-large bid this year and exploding for 6 goals in a 6-2 thrashing of USC Upstate in their final non-conference matchup.
Wake has also opened conference play strongly, earning a 3-1 victory over an improved Miami team, a 2-1 win over a Virginia Tech team that has struggled of late but that boasts one of the nation’s best attacks, and the aforementioned 0-0 draw with a young Boston College team. Wake does actually have a 3rd win over an ACC opponent, as they opened their season with a comfortable 2-0 win over SMU, but that game was a non-conference matchup. With all that said, there is a lot of work left for this team to achieve their goals this season. The ACC is the sport’s strongest conference, and that is no different this year, as Wake will have to face three teams that are currently in the top 10, as they will visit #9 Duke and #6 Florida State and host #2 Notre Dame. For an extremely young Wake team, this conference slate will be a baptism by fire.
The Good
Despite almost an entirely new lineup this year for the Deacs, two of the biggest contributors to their success have been returning players. After setting the program record for lowest goals allowed average in a season last year, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral has returned to form in a big way. She has already made several critical, game-saving stops this season, and, even though she is not a particularly tall keeper, she has been well in command of her area on set plays and crosses. Redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe is the other returner to have a huge impact, and in a new role. Sythe played largely as a winger last season for the Deacs, but, with a dearth of options defensively this year, she has dropped back into the left back role without skipping a beat. From this spot, she has shown some solid defensive capabilities and has taken a step forward in the attack, notching 2 goals, including one direct from a corner in a 1-0 win over USF, and leading the team with 6 assists, registering one in 4 of the last 5 games. As the only two returning players who started in that national final almost a year ago, they have led by example.
Among the newcomers, freshman winger Kylie Maxwell has shone the brightest. Maxwell has shown the makings of an absolute superstar so far this season, notching 4 goals and 4 assists in 11 starts. She is dangerous every time she touches the ball with her ability to beat defenders off the dribble, provide dangerous service into the area, and, of course, finish her chances. She shares the team lead in goals with two other players, freshman winger Allie Flanagan and sophomore forward/midfielder Lola Ressler. Both Flanagan and Ressler began the year as rotational options, but have earned more minutes as the season has gone on. Flanagan is dangerous with the ball at her feet like Maxwell, but her primary strength is her ball striking and her ability to get in behind the defense. Ressler on the other hand is a crafty, creative, box crashing midfielder who has great instincts in the 18-yard area and very strong finishing ability. The three have grown together as they have shared the field more in recent games, and they look to be a formidable attacking unit.
In addition to the freshmen, senior transfer Brooke Miller has been as advertised. Like Sythe, Miller has been pushed back into the fullback role this season from her typical wing position, but she has formed a strong connection with Kylie Maxwell on that right side in this new role. She’s proven to be a reliable defensive presence on that flank as well as a solid ball progressor. She has registered a goal and 4 assists from the right back spot this year and has provided a veteran presence for this team that has helped spring them to 8 wins in 11. I also think, from a more macro perspective, the mentality of this team has been a huge positive this season. These Wake Forest teams under Tony da Luz always seem to be able to stand in the pocket and take some punches. Although Wake’s record is good to this point in the season, they have had to suffer for victories at times, particularly in the LSU, Miami, and Virginia Tech games, but they have found ways to manage games down the stretch and secure the points. In the end, the result is most important, and this Wake team has gotten most of the results they’ve needed.
The Questions that Remain
The biggest issue facing the Deacs this season is their defense. A slew of departures left the Deacs light at the back, but an injury to Allie Schmidt, who was slated to take on a big role this season after 5 appearances last year and 25 appearances in the two years before that has left them even lighter than expected. Junior midfielder Dempsey Brown has deputized at center back, primarily alongside Laine DeNatale, while Addison Roberts and Tahlia Zadeyan have come in and out of the lineup, but the Deacs have looked a bit more susceptible to conceding this year, especially in transition. Wake has utilized both a back 4 and a back 5 formation this season, but, in both systems, they have not quite shown the same level of solidity as they did over the last few seasons.
Also contributing to Wake’s questions defensively has been their midfield. It has largely been senior Carly Wilson and sophomore Amaya Dawkins occupying the two central midfield spots, usually behind Lola Ressler in the attacking midfield role. Both players are more traditional defensive midfielders whose primary strengths lie in their ability to track back and break up plays. This has led to some issues as Wake has tried to build out of their defense and connect midfield to attack. Turnovers in the middle of the field in addition to some trouble Wake has had while trying to play out of the back have created some danger defensively. Against Boston College, we saw the return of Dempsey Brown into the midfield with Wilson and Ressler alongside her, but a lot of the issues that plagued the Wake midfield and backline in possession remained after that change.
While this has not necessarily been a weakness per se, the Deacs also have a bit of a question mark at their center forward position. Although senior Hannah Johnson has taken the lion’s share of minutes in this position over the past few games, Tony da Luz has run out several players in the number 9 role this year, with Lola Ressler, Elliana Ramirez, and Kylie Maxwell all having played in that slot. With Ressler now looking to be the team’s attacking midfielder and Maxwell sliding in as one of the wingers, the competition seems to be between Ramirez and Johnson. The two have one goal between them this year, with Johnson having notched her first of the year on a corner kick against Virginia Tech last week. Johnson has shown to be a very useful outlet for the Wake attack with her hold up play, as the 5’11” senior is a physically dominant forward with deceptively good feet, while Ramirez, who is still a stout hold-up forward, offers a bit more in the way of pace and on the ball. It does not feel like either player has really claimed the position yet, so it will be an interesting battle to see unfold over the next month or so.
What is Next
The Deacs will have all ACC opponents the rest of the way, and their next game may be their toughest test all season, as they travel to Durham to take on the #9 Duke Blue Devils. Like Wake, Duke is coming off of a College Cup appearance, as they entered last year’s NCAA tournament as the top seed and, like Wake, ultimately fell to the UNC Tar Heels en route to their 23rd national championship. Duke has been one of the premier programs in the sport for most of the last decade under the guidance of Robbie Church, who led the Blue Devils from 2001 until last year and helped them to 4 College Cup appearances and 3 ACC regular season crowns.
With former Church assistant Kieran Hall now at the helm, you can expect the same high octane, high pressing Duke that Church built, with a high defensive line and an extreme commitment of players forward when in possession. With that said, the Blue Devils are in the midst of a difficult run of form, having won only 1 of their previous 4 matches, with road losses to nationally ranked Virginia and Notre Dame as well as a 1-1 draw at home with Alabama and the lone win coming by a 1-0 scoreline against Miami. They have been plenty good this year too, having earned two victories over ranked opponents, defeating #18 Penn State in a 3-2 thriller in Durham and shutting out the #7 Arkansas Razorbacks 2-0 in Fayetteville. They are a top of the line attacking unit, having scored 23 times in their 9 games, led by veteran forwards Mia Minestrella and Kat Rader who have combined for 13 goals and 10 assists already this year. However, they have been an up and down defensive unit this year, as they’ve kept 5 clean sheets, but they have also surrendered 2 or more goals on 3 separate occasions, albeit against ranked opponents. They have had some issues of their own playing through pressure, and have had some trouble defending set pieces and handling big, physical forwards. While Wake will certainly have to put on their best performance of the season to this point to earn a result, they should have the pieces to give Duke some trouble. The game will kick off at 7:00 PM EST on Thursday at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, NC. It will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
