Wake Forest Captures Third Consecutive Shutout at VCU

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest women's soccer (3-0-0) secured their first road victory of the season in a 2-0 shutout on Thursday night at Backer Stadium.

The win marked the Demon Deacons third-straight win where they held their opponent scoreless. This is the first time since September 2017 that Wake Forest has accomplished this feat.

Junior Shayla Smart recorded her third-straight goal in as many contests when she tallied the opening score in the 11th minute. Shortly after in the 20th minute, freshman Malaika Meena scored on an assist from Jenna Menta to extend the Wake Forest lead.

Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks recorded her third-straight shutout and picked up two saves to maintain the clean sheet. The Deacs only allowed eight shots the entire match.

Tony Time with Coach da Luz
"So happy with that kind of a start. This is our first week of school and I didn't know how this team would react being on the road. The concentration level was fantastic from the beginning and to jump out to the early lead put us in a really good position. I thought we passed the ball well and got everyone involved and created some good chances. I think we are getting better and better every game and we still have a lot of improvement to do. We are only going to get better."

HOW IT HAPPENED

An aggressive start allowed Wake Forest to separate itself early as Shayla Smart scored the match's first goal in the 11th minute.
- Smart scored her fourth goal of her career.
The Deacs extended their lead with a goal in the 20th minute by true freshman midfielder Malaika Meena. Jenna Menta picked up her second assist on the season on the score.
Wake Forest totaled nine shots in the first half, three were on goal. Wake Forest's defense only allowed three VCU shots the entire first half, zero were on goal.
VCU recorded their first shot on goal in the 65th minute, but a nice diving save by Kaitlyn Parks kept the score, 2-0.
The Deacs recorded seven shots in the second half to the Rams four. The Deacons maintained the shooting advantage all evening by out shooting the Rams 16-7.
Tonight marked the fourth match between the two teams and the first since a 0-0 tie in 2019.
Wake Forest now leads the all-time series 2-0-2 after tonight's meeting.

UP NEXT
Wake Forest will return to the friendly confines of Spry Stadium on Sunday, hosting Youngstown State at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on ACCNX.

For the most up-to-date information on Wake Forest soccer, follow @WakeWSoccer on Twitter.

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Wake Forest Captures Third Consecutive Shutout at VCU

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Team Stats

Shayla Smart

Malaika Meena

Jenna Menta

Nikayla Small

Players Mentioned

Malaika Meena

Jenna Menta

Kaitlyn Parks

Shayla Smart

Players Mentioned

Malaika Meena

Jenna Menta

Kaitlyn Parks

Shayla Smart

Wake Forest Athletics