Wake Forest Selected to NCAA Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS – The Wake Forest women's soccer team was selected to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, as announced on NCAA.com Monday evening.

The Demon Deacons (9-6-3, 3-6-1 ACC) will travel to Columbia, S.C., to face third-seeded South Carolina (13-3-5, 6-3-1 ACC) on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.

Monday's nod marked the Demon Deacons' second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 22nd all-time.

"I'm thankful for the committee acknowledging our body of work," said head coach Tony da Luz. "We were incredibly close in a lot of big games, so hopefully we can close that gap and get hot here in the NCAA Tournament. I'm really proud of our group and our seniors, particularly. We plan on taking advantage of this opportunity and winning some games."

The winner of Saturday's match will face either six-seeded Harvard or New Hampshire in the second round of the tournament.

During the regular season, the Demon Deacons earned two RPI top-30 victories including a win over No. 14 Clemson.

Additionally, the Deacs tallied nine shutouts while accumulating a .778 goals against average. Of note, the Demon Deacons ranked top-50 nationally in each category despite ranking 17th in Strength of Schedule and No. 1 in Conference RPI Value.

2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament

First Round
- Nov. 11-13
  - Campus Sites
Second and Third Round
- Nov. 18 & 20
  - Campus Sites
Quarterfinals
- Nov. 25 or 26
  - Campus Sites
Semifinals
- Dec. 2
  - WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)
National Championship
- Dec. 5
  - WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)

The full 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer bracket can be found here.

Demon Deacons in the NCAA Tournament

NCAA College Cup Appearances (1)
2011
NCAA Tournament Appearances (22)
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022

Season Highlights

Caiya Hanks became the 17th player in Wake Forest history to earn ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Hanks finished the season with three assists and a goal, including the game-winning assist against Georgia.
Kaitlyn Parks was fantastic in goal for the Demon Deacons all season. The redshirt junior helped the team to nine clean sheets, including a stretch of six in a row earlier in the season. She finished the season with 47 saves and a .770 save percentage.
The Demon Deacons claimed a dominant 4-1 win over the No. 14 Clemson Tigers and earned a hard-fought 0-0 draw with No. 16 Auburn.
Liv Stowell led the team in total points with 14. The junior forward collected five goals and four assists and was one of just three outfield players to start all 18 matches. (Meena, Hanks)
Freshman Alex Wood finished tied for the team lead with five goals. The forward netted a brace against Rhode Island in just 36 minutes of game time.
Center back Laurel Ansbrow led all outfield players with 1,489 minutes played on the backline. The sophomore started 16 of the 18 games and helped Parks and the Demon Deacons earn the nine shutouts.
Kristin Johnson spent time as a left back and a center back throughout the season. The versatile defender finished tied for the team-high with four assists. The sophomore started 17 of the 18 matches and racked up over 1,400 minutes.
Hannah Johnson scored the first goal of the season for the Demon Deacons just five minutes into the first match against Milwaukee. Coincidentally, the freshman also bagged the last goal of the season with the equalizer for the Demon Deacons with five minutes remaining against Boston College.
Emily Morris and Giovanna DeMarco each recorded four goals this season. Morris started 17 games in the midfield and was a perfect blend of progression and protection for the Demon Deacons. DeMarco spent time as a #6, center back and even a center forward at times throughout the season. She is the current leader in career goals of all active players on the team with 11 in addition to seven assists.
The Demon Deacons only allowed multiple goals four times this season and allowed three goals just once.

Wake Forest Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Laurel Ansbrow

Giovanna DeMarco

Caiya Hanks

Hannah Johnson

Kristin Johnson

Emily Morris

Kaitlyn Parks

Liv Stowell

Alex Wood

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