Recap: Wake Forest Women’s Soccer Defeats Rival NC State
The #4 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10–1, 3–1 ACC) earned a big conference win on Sunday, defeating the NC State Wolfpack (9–2–2, 2–2–1 ACC) by a 3–1 score a Spry. It was the Deacs’ first game after a 2–0 loss at Stanford on 9/20, and it was a welcome result after the long layoff. The win also moved the Deacs to 7–0 at home on the season, extending their home unbeaten streak to 23 games, a streak that started with a 3–0 win against NC State in 2024. For State, there were some positives to take from the match, as they gave the Deacs a real scare in this game and were the first road team to score at Spry this season, but, all the same, they went back to Raleigh with a loss. Both sides certainly had their chances to come away with the victory over the 90 minutes, but, in the end, Wake delivered the knockout blow(s) in the second half to secure the victory.
Lineups
Wake Forest (4–3–3)
GK: Valentina Amaral
RB: Taylor Maxwell
CB: Tahlia Zadeyan
CB: Sammi Wiemann ©
LB: Sierra Sythe ©
CM: Dempsey Brown ©
CM: Riley Cross
CAM: Lola Ressler
RW: Kylie Maxwell
ST: Henley Tippins
LW: Allie Flanagan
Coach: Tony da Luz
NC State (4–3–3)
GK: Amor Leigh Martin Esteban
RB: Mary Frances Symmes
CB: Alex Mohr
CB: Carly Montgomery ©
LB: Yuna Aoki
CM: Emily Wong
CM: Mana Nakata
CAM: Madison Casteen
RW: Erica Roberts
ST: Antonella Mazziotto
LW: Katie Richter
Coach: Kevin Higgins
The Match
There was only one change in the Wake lineup from their loss at Stanford two weeks ago, as Lola Ressler returned to a starting role in the midfield in place of Amaya Dawkins, with Ressler taking the attacking midfield role and Riley Cross moving out of that spot to Dawkins’s position as a deeper midfielder. For State, there were two significant absences, with forward Jade Bordeleau and winger Daisy Duda both missing out on the game in Winston-Salem after starting in the Pack’s 3–0 win against Virginia Tech in Raleigh last week. Bordeleau is the ACC’s top scorer and the second top scorer in the nation this season with 13 goals, while Duda was the Pack’s top provider going into the weekend with 4 assists. Bordeleau scored both goals for the Pack in their 2–1 victory over Wake last season, and Duda assisted one of those goals as well. Bordeleau’s spot in the lineup was taken by Antonella Mazziotto while Katie Richter slotted into the left wing position in place of Duda.
The first half was a bit of a cagey affair, as both teams were very sharp defensively. State wanted to get out and run in transition, but the Deacs’ counterpress after they lost the ball was excellent, preventing the Pack from having any time to make those outlet passes. On the other hand, Wake had trouble breaking down the very organized and disciplined NC State spine, which did a great job of limiting space in the wide areas, which Wake often looks to exploit. However, despite neither team having a high quantity of chances, the Deacs did create a couple of high quality opportunities. In the 17th minute, one of them led to a goal in bizarre fashion. The attack began with a ball up the flank from right back Taylor Maxwell to her sister Kylie Maxwell, with the Wake winger finally finding herself in some space after breaking free of State left back Yuna Aoki. She sent a great ball across that eluded the reach of center back Alex Mohr and came to the feet of forward Henley Tippins inside the 6-yard box. Tippins tapped the ball back across goal, but Mohr got a touch on it before it could cross the line, but not enough of a touch to force it away from the goal. With Mohr now on the ground with no chance to boot the ball clear, the Pack center back decided to punch the ball away with her right hand, which would have been a red card and a penalty kick if the ball didn’t land right at the feet of winger Allie Flanagan, who put it into the bottom corner for her second goal of the season to make it a 1–0 game. There was a lengthy review after the play, as NC State coach Kevin Higgins challenged the play for a potential offside that was cleared early in the review process, but the officials then looked at the handball offense by Mohr. Mohr was fortunate that Flanagan scored on the play, as, after the review, she was only given a yellow card for her handball, which would have been a red card in any other circumstance.
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The Deacs did have another big opportunity to double their lead in the 28th minute, as a great counterpress by Kylie Maxwell and Riley Cross gave the Deacs possession of the ball past midfield. Taylor Maxwell was the player to settle the ball down, then playing it ahead to substitute winger Chloe Burst up the right flank. Burst had all kinds of space to put in a cross, and she swung it towards Allie Flanagan at the far post. It came in at an awkward height for Flanagan, who could only deflect the ball back across goal with her knee, but it fell right to Kylie Maxwell inside the 6-yard box. Somehow, Amor Leigh Martin Esteban came across goal and made a kick save on Maxwell’s effort that keep the deficit at only one for the Pack. Neither side created much else of note in the first half, with only 3 shots on frame between the two teams in the period. When the whistle blew to bring the half to a close, though, Wake was the side in control, leading 1–0 in a game that didn’t seem like it would have many goals in it.
In the second half, everything completely changed. State came out white hot, dominating play for long stretches of the period. They were rewarded early, as, in the 47th minute, they tied the game. It came from a very fortuitous bounce, as a shot from distance by right winger Erica Roberts deflected off of midfielder Mana Nakata right to the feet of Antonella Mazziotto inside the area, who put the ball down and lashed it into the roof of the net before any Wake player could react, giving Mazziotto her third goal of the season. This gave the Pack all kinds of momentum, and they really began to turn the screws on the Deacs. State outshot Wake 6–3 in the first 25 minutes of the second half, and most of the game took place in the Deacs’ end during that span. Wake nearly found the lead against the run of play shortly after the goal, as, in the 53rd minute, a scramble after a corner kick from Sierra Sythe ended with a shot from Allie Flanagan from about 12 yards out, but she put it over the crossbar. In the 65th minute, the Pack came inches from taking the lead themselves. The play started on a throw in on the left side, which went to left back Yuna Aoki, who mishit a cross into the area, popping it into the air. However, no Wake players went to the ball, which allowed Antonella Mazziotto to put the ball down by herself on the left side of the area. Mazziotto played the ball back to Mana Nakata, who hit it first time on her left foot, lauchging it past the outstretched arms of Valentina Amaral in the Wake goal, but striking the underside of the crossbar. The ball bounced on the goal line and came back out into play, with left back Sierra Sythe settling the ball and getting fouled to end the danger.
With the way the game was going, State looked like they were the likelier of the two sides to come away with the victory. However, in the 72nd minute, the Pack made a critical error that would end up costing them the game. After another Wolfpack foray into the Wake end came to a close when Valentina Amaral came out to claim the ball, the Deacs elected to play quickly and try to catch them in transition, with Amaral playing a ball ahead to Allie Flanagan on the left flank. Right back Mary Frances Symmes stepped up to try to cut the ball out, but couldn’t get a touch, allowing the Deacs some space to run into down the flank. Flanagan tried to play the ball inside, but her pass was blocked by the Pack before being reclaimed by Sierra Sythe. Sythe played a one-two with Flanagan, with Sythe getting the ball back in enough space to put a cross into the box. Alex Mohr came over and stopped the ball from coming through, and center back Carly Montgomery tried to head the ball clear of the box, but her header was short of clearing the danger, with Sierra Sythe looking likely to gain possession in the penalty area until Mary Frances Symmes shoved her in the back. The referee pointed to the spot immediately, giving the Deacs a penalty kick. Kevin Higgins called for a video review of the play and was given a yellow card for his protestations, but the official stuck with her call after a short review. Sierra Sythe was the player to step up from the spot, and she made no mistake, sending Martin Esteban the wrong way to give Wake a 2–1 lead and notch her team-leading 7th goal of the season, staying a perfect 4–4 on penalty kicks this year.
After their second goal, the Deacs played much better, keeping hold of the ball and looking much more dangerous in the attacking end. Just 4 minutes after Sythe’s penalty, Wake put the game to bed. It all started with a throw in on the right side of the field from inside State’s half, which was played to substitute midfielder Sofia Atehortua. Atehortua played the ball across the field to Sammi Wiemann, who did very well to step up and skip past a couple of State forwards near the halfway line before playing it back outside to Riley Cross, who dropped into the left back spot after the substitution of Taylor Maxwell and subsequent move to right back for Sierra Sythe . Cross drove the ball towards the Pack defense and then played it outside to Allie Flanagan, who faced up her defender, cut it onto her right foot, and sent the ball into the penalty area. Lola Ressler was there to meet it, stretching out and looping the ball into the top corner for her fourth goal of the season, giving Wake a near insurmountable 2 goal lead with just under 15 minutes to be played. It proved to be the winning margin by the time the game came to a close, as the Pack had no more punches left to throw. When the buzzer sounded for full time, the Deacs had another 3 points to add to their ACC ledger this season.
Player of the Match
There are a fair few players deserving of praise for their performances in this game. For State, Antonella Mazziotto had a brilliant showing in place of Jade Bordeleau, pressing well and scoring a goal on the night. Sierra Sythe is worthy of a mention for her performance, which was once again excellent, as she won and scored the decisive penalty kick on the night. Taylor Maxwell in the opposite fullback position was also excellent, especially defensively, and played a part in the game’s opening goal. For me, though, the plaudits have to go to winger Allie Flanagan, who scored that opening goal and assisted Lola Ressler’s game sealing effort. Flanagan does not quite get the same hype and attention as her wing partner Kylie Maxwell, but, on her day, she is as good as any winger in the country. She was the most dangerous player on the field for Wake and seemed to be involved in every attack the Deacs sprung on the night. Without Flanagan, this match could certainly have gone a very different way.
Next Match
The Deacs return to action on Saturday in Coral Gables, FL, where they take on the Miami Hurricanes (8–3–1, 3–2 ACC). Frankly, the Hurricanes are a tough team to make heads or tails of. They opened their season with a 2–0 loss to a Jacksonville team that followed up that victory with a 5 game goalless streak. They played a weak non conference schedule that included a draw with App State, with the Hurricanes not facing a power conference opponent until ACC play began. They came into conference play at 5–1–1 with a couple of bad results and some near misses, with 1–0 wins against Lipscomb and FIU. But, since conference play has started, the Hurricanes have looked to be a real tough out. With their 3–2 conference record, the Hurricanes are in 4th place in the ACC with 9 points, albeit with some teams behind having games in hand. They are tied on points with the Deacs, which makes this a matchup that could have serious ACC Tournament implications.
Miami has not finished with this many points in an ACC season since 2018, and they have never finished in the top 4 of the ACC in their history. They have more ACC wins this season than they registered in the last 2 seasons combined. While they are traditionally a table footer in the conference, they have separated themselves from that group, defeating second-bottom SMU at home and last-placed Pittsburgh on the road, but a 2–1 road win against NC State and a narrow 3–2 loss at home against #23 Clemson would suggest that this is not just a Miami team that is the best of the worst. History, of course, favors the Deacs in this matchup, as they hold a 16–4 record against the Hurricanes and have not lost or drawn against them since a 2–1 defeat in Coral Gables in 2016. Last season, the Deacs dispatched of the Hurricanes by a 3–1 score in Winston-Salem, with a brace from Lola Ressler and a goal from Allie Flanagan. With that said, this Miami team is far from the walkover match they have been in the past and will be a tough road test.
The main cause of the Hurricanes’ turnaround has been their play in the attacking end. Last season, Miami scored 20 goals as a team in 18 games, a paltry attacking output that was also their best attacking mark since scoring 24 goals in 16 games in 2019. This year, Miami has scored 19 goals in 12 games and have only been shut out twice. Their defensive performance, which was already pretty solid last season, has also taken a step up, with the Hurricanes having only surrendered 13 goals so far this year, keeping 5 shutouts along the way. They average only 8.25 shot allowed per game, so they not only give up few goals, but give up few chances as well. With that said, the Hurricanes may still be without forward Zoie Fontenot, who is their top goalscorer this season with 4 goals and has not played since their victory over NC State, which is a huge blow. This leaves a lot more on the shoulders of midfielder Ciara Alarcon, who was the Canes’ points leader last season and now leads the team with 5 assists, although she is yet to score this season. Madelynn Sadusky will likely be the player they turn to in search of goals with Fontenot out of the lineup, as the freshman attacker has scored 3 goals in just 518 minutes so far this season. All that is to say, Miami will certainly be a tough out for the Deacs, but, they won’t be packing the same attacking firepower they usually come with, and that is something Wake will look to take advantage of.
Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM on Saturday, 10/10 in Coral Gables. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
