Recap: Wake Women’s Soccer Suffers First Defeat at Stanford
The #3 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9–1, 2–1 ACC) saw their perfect start to the season come to an end in California, as the Stanford Cardinal (7–2–1, 1–2 ACC) defeated the Deacs 2–0 at home. It was the first time the Deacs have failed to win this season as well as the first time they have conceded multiple goals in a game since their 4–1 defeat to Florida State in last year’s regular season finale in Tallahassee. For the Cardinal, it was a monumental victory and their first ever against Wake, also putting an end to their 2 game losing run to start conference play. It was a well deserved victory for Stanford as well, as they were completely dominant for long stretches of this game, and the Deacs just had no answers. With a week off coming for Tony da Luz and company, they’ll surely be doing plenty of analysis of this game and how to go forward from here.
Lineups
Stanford (4–3–3)
GK: Caroline Birkel
RB: Sammy Smith
CB: London Young
CB: Lizzie Boamah
LB: Lily Freer
CDM: Y-Lan Nguyen
CM: Mia Bhuta ©
CM: Charlotte Kohler ©
RW: Jaden Thomas
ST: Brooke Holden
LW: Bella Winn
Coach: Paul Ratcliffe
Wake Forest (4–3–3)
GK: Valentina Amaral
RB: Taylor Maxwell
CB: Tahlia Zadeyan
CB: Sammi Wiemann ©
LB: Sierra Sythe ©
CM: Dempsey Brown ©
CM: Amaya Dawkins
CAM: Riley Cross
RW: Kylie Maxwell
ST: Henley Tippins
LW: Allie Flanagan
Coach: Tony da Luz
The Match
Stanford had been on a poor run before their matchup with the Deacs, but much of that was down to the absence of several key players due to the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Sunday’s match was the first match back for three starters in midfielder Y-Lan Nguyen, defender Lizzie Boamah, and keeper Caroline Birkel, who represented the United States in the tournament. It made a world of difference for the Cardinal, who exerted a lot of pressure on the Deacs from the start, as Wake really struggled to keep possession. With that said, Wake defended very well in the first half, and neither side could quite break through, with only 1 shot on target between the teams in the first 45 minutes.
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There were certainly chances, though. In the 19th minute, it was a golden opportunity for the Cardinal, as center back Tahlia Zadeyn was caught in possession, allowing Jaden Thomas, who started on the right wing but switched to the left, to put a ball across to midfielder Charlotte Kohler just outside the 6. Kohler couldn’t quite get her effort right from a bit of an acute angle, and the ball trickled wide for a goal kick. In the 28th minute, it was near disaster for the Deacs, as a corner kick from Y-Lan Nguyen looped over keeper Valentina Amaral and seemed to be destined for the goal, but center back Sammi Wiemann headed it clear. Wake wasn’t totally without chances in the first period, as, in the 34th minute, they finally got the Cardinal in transition, with substitute attacking midfielder Lola Ressler breaking free down the right flank and playing the ball across to forward Henley Tippins in the middle, but her shot was blocked in front by right back Sammy Smith. This was their only real glimpse at goal in the period, though, and the Cardinal outshot them 5–1 overall. When the whistle blew to bring the half to a close, the deadlock remained, and Wake would have been happy with that.
In the second half, the game opened up considerably, and it was much to Wake’s detriment. Both teams had their chances at goal in the last 45 minutes, but Stanford seemed to get more dangerous and more frequent opportunities to take the lead. In the 54th minute, a long ball over the defense from Y-Lan Nguyen found Charlotte Kohler in behind, but her blast at the near post was parried away by Valentina Amaral. In the 55th minute, it was another chance, with a Sammy Smith cross to the back postfinding the foot of an unmarked Brooke Holden, who shot across goal but saw her effort deflect off of one of her teammates and stay out. In the 61st minute, Smith put in another wonderful ball, this time finding midfielder Mia Bhuta all by herself at the back post, but this time a Wake player got in front of her shot to keep the ball wide of the post. Wake did have their looks at goal, with winger Kylie Maxwell shooting agonizingly wide of the net from the right side of the box in the 68th minute and her opposite winger Allie Flanagan stinging the gloves of Caroline Birkel from distance in the 74th minute, but it just felt like they were holding on for dear life in the game.
Finally, in the 77th minute, the dam broke. Once again Wake was caught with the ball at their feet, with midfielder Amaya Dawkins losing out on possession in the middle of the field to Charlotte Kohler. Kohler played it ahead to winger Bella Winn, Winn played it through the Wake defense to substitute forward Peyton Marinos, and Marinos made Wake pay, putting her effort back across goal and into the side netting to give Stanford the late lead. The Deacs did grow into the game some after the goal, but they couldn’t quite break through the Stanford defense. Then, in the very last minute of the 90, a lifeline presented itself. A poor backpass from Sammy Smith sent Kylie Maxwell on her way to goal, and Maxwell looked like she would steal a point for the Deacs when she took a touch around keeper Caroline Birkel outside the box. However, an unbelievable recovery run from Lizzie Boamah denied Maxwell a shot on the open net, as the Stanford defender somehow caught up to the play and put it out for a corner.
From there, the Cardinal had the points wrapped up, and they added some insult to injury on an ill-fated play. With 33 seconds to go, Wake recovered the ball in their own half from a Stanford clearance, but the game was stopped when Caroline Birkel went down and needed treatment. This resulted in a drop ball for Wake, and they intended to put all of their outfield players in the box for a long ball forward, which they would leave to keeper Valentina Amaral. The issue with this is that drop balls are not like free kicks, as the opposing team can go towards the ball after it is dropped rather than having to wait for it to be kicked. As a result, Amaral was charged down by Peyton Marinos once play resumed and was forced to dribble back into the middle of the field. She tried play it ahead to a teammate, but it deflected right back to her. Facing her own goal and with no one to play it to, Amaral looked around for an option and was stripped by Charlotte Kohler, who walked the ball into the back of the net for the game’s second goal, sealing a well deserved victory and three major points for Stanford and sending the Deacs back to Winston empty handed.
Player of the Match
This was a game that was defined by the play of the Cardinal, but there was still a bright spot on the Wake side. Center back Sammi Wiemann was absolutely incredible and had a big part in keeping this game from getting out of hand early for the Deacs. With that said, there were plenty of Stanford performances to talk about. Charlotte Kohler was excellent and justly rewarded for her efforts with the goal at the end. Peyton Marinos proved to be the game changer off the bench and was critical to both goals, scoring the first and challenging Amaral for the second. Bella Winn and Y-Lan Nguyen had workhorse performances in the game that kept the Deacs in their own end for most of the 90. But, for me, the best player on the field was center back Lizzie Boamah. Boamah didn’t put a foot wrong the whole night, winning headers and tackles, making recovery runs, and generally keeping Wake out of the Cardinal’s box. While she wasn’t involved in either goal, she had the most important play of the game, denying a sure goal for Kylie Maxwell in the 90th minute with an unbelievable recovery. Based on her play yesterday, I wouldn’t be shocked to see her playing for the senior USWNT in the near future.
Next Match
The Deacs will take the week off and return to action on Sunday 10/4 when they take on the NC State Wolfpack (8–1–2, 1–1–1 ACC). The Pack recently saw their season opening unbeaten run come to an end as well, as they lost at home yesterday to Miami by a 2–1 score. Before then, the Wolfpack opened the season on a 10 game unbeaten run, but, after the loss this weekend, they have now won only 1 of their previous 4 matches, a 4–2 win on Thursday against an SMU side that is 4–14–4 in conference play since joining the ACC in 2024. With that said, this year has been a drastic improvement for State, who, since last making the NCAA Tournament in 2022, posted a 12–28–14 overall record and a 7–15–8 ACC record in the previous 3 seasons. While their recent history overall has been difficult, they have gotten the better of the Deacs of late, as, although Wake still holds the all-time series edge against the Pack 20–9–3, Tony da Luz’s side have won only 1 of the previous 4 meetings. Last season, State proved a real spoiler for the Deacs, defeating Wake 2–1 in Raleigh after the Deacs took down the #9 Duke Blue Devils only 7 days prior.
With the Pack, much of their success comes down to one thing, or, more accurately, one person: forward Jade Bordeleau. Bordeleau is one of the best players in the nation and is currently tied with Oklahoma’s Kayla Keefer for the national lead in goals with 12 in 11 games. Bordeleau has scored in 18 of her last 25 collegiate games, including both of the Pack’s goals in their last matchup against Wake. This year, State has had some other players pop up around her, most notably former ECU forward Erica Roberts, who has 5 goals this year after a goalless campaign in her first season in Raleigh. They’ve proven an explosive attacking side overall for much of this season with 32 goals in their 11 matches, and, with this Wake side starting to look a little more susceptible defensively since the start of conference play, there is nothing head coach Gary Higgins would love more than putting a marquee ranked win on his team’s resume in just his second year in charge. Wake will be desperate to get back in action after the disappointing result this weekend, but the question will be how they respond to a week away from game action and a rival side with a point to prove.
Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM on Sunday, 10/4. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
