Deacs Shut Out Greyhounds, 3-0

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest picked up its fifth consecutive shutout victory on Thursday night, besting Loyola-Maryland at Spry Stadium, 3-0.

The Deacs (5-0-0) have yet to concede a goal this season as they hold a five-game shutout streak, during which they have remained unbeaten. Dating back to last season, Wake Forest has gone 475 minutes without conceding a goal. It is the first time since 2016, Wake Forest has shutout five-straight opponents.

Senior Shayla Smart bagged the first hat-trick of her collegiate campaign. She now has six goals on the season, tying her for the second most in the country. The senior started the scoring in the 10th minute as she rounded the Loyola (2-3-0) goalkeeper and finished into an empty net. Nikayla Small recorded her second assist of the season.

Smart collected the brace a minute later off senior Hulda Arnarsdottir's dish which Smart finished with the curling shot into the right-hand corner of the net.

In the 57th minute, Small provided another perfect ball for Smart. The Apopka, Fla. native decisively punched in the hat trick into the bottom corner. Smart's hat-trick is the first for the Demon Deacons since Maddie Huster scored three against FIU in 2016.

Arnarsdottir celebrated her senior night by supplying her first assist of the season. The Reykjavik, Iceland native has been an integral part of the Deacs since her arrival in 2017. To date, Arnardottir has found the net 11 times for the Demon Deacons.

Tony Time with Coach da Luz
"We got a fast start right from the beginning," head coach Tony da Luz said after the win. "We created some good chances early and had good rhythm throughout the match. (Shayla) Smart is full of confidence right now and I thought all three goals had build up and great assists to finish it. It was a team setup for her but she finished them really well. I'm happy and proud of her. To get a decisive win on Hulda Arnarsdottir's senior night is special. She played well after just coming back and she did some really dangerous things tonight."

How It Happened

The Deacons jumped out to a 1-0 lead after junior Shayla Smart scored in the 10th minute.
Less than two minutes later, Smart netted her second goal of the evening after a dish from Arnarsdottir.
The Demon Deacons were dominate in the first half, outshooting the Greyhounds, 9-1
- In three out of five contests, Wake Forest has only allowed one shot or fewer in the first half.
Smart collected her third goal of the evening in the 57th minute from an assist from Small, completing the first hat trick for Wake Forest since 2016.
For the evening, Wake Forest outshot Loyola by a 17-2 margin which included a 9-1 spread in the first half, and 8-1 difference in the second half.

Up Next
Wake Forest will head down the road to Boone, NC for a Sunday night outing against Appalachian State at 6 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.

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

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Team Stats

Shayla Smart

Nikayla Small

Hulda Arnarsdottir

Sofia Rossi

Players Mentioned

Hulda Arnarsdottir

Nikayla Small

Shayla Smart

Players Mentioned

Hulda Arnarsdottir

Nikayla Small

Shayla Smart

Wake Forest Athletics