
Wake Forest Books Spot in 2023 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Tournament With 2-0 Win Over Miami
10/26/2023 8:38:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Demon Deacons will play No. 8 Clemson on Sunday at 6 p.m.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the second time in three years, the Wake Forest women's soccer team clinched a spot in the ACC Tournament following a 2-0 win over the Miami Hurricanes Thursday evening at Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Fla.
The Demon Deacons (10-2-5, 4-2-4 ACC) finished the ACC season with 16 points, which was enough to secure sixth place in the conference for the final spot in the tournament. The Deacs will now take on No. 8 Clemson on Sunday, Oct. 29 in the first round of the tournament.
Junior defender Laurel Ansbrow put the Deacs in front in the 60th minute as she got her head on the end of a perfectly placed Emily Morris corner. It was the first goal of the season for the captain and the second of her career. Morris recorded her fifth-career assist and second of the season.
The Demon Deacons continued to look for a second goal over the next 15 minutes until Morris doubled the advantage in the 76th minute after she redirected a ball from junior forward Emily Murphy into the back of the net. The goal marked the sixth of her career and her second of the season. Junior defender Kristin Johnson and Murphy picked up their sixth and 12th assists of their careers, respectively.
Individually, Murphy led the team with three shots, with all three coming on-goal, while Meena and Colton tallied two shots apiece. In goal, junior Payton Cahill improved to 4-0-3 and remained unbeaten in her career.
The Demon Deacons lost just two games during the 2023 regular season, marking the fewest in program history, breaking the record of three during the 2011 season. This season also marked the first time in program history the Deacs were not shut out in a single game.
How It Happened
Demon Deacon Details of Note
Standout Stats
Tony Time with Coach da Luz
"We put in a complete team performance tonight. We dominated the game from start to finish. I'm proud of our stretch run. This team deserves to be in the ACC Tournament. We are playing with confidence right now, which will carry us into Sunday's quarterfinal match."
Up Next
The Deacs will play third-seeded Clemson in the first round of the 2023 Ally ACC Women's Soccer Tournament on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs
The Demon Deacons (10-2-5, 4-2-4 ACC) finished the ACC season with 16 points, which was enough to secure sixth place in the conference for the final spot in the tournament. The Deacs will now take on No. 8 Clemson on Sunday, Oct. 29 in the first round of the tournament.
Junior defender Laurel Ansbrow put the Deacs in front in the 60th minute as she got her head on the end of a perfectly placed Emily Morris corner. It was the first goal of the season for the captain and the second of her career. Morris recorded her fifth-career assist and second of the season.
The Demon Deacons continued to look for a second goal over the next 15 minutes until Morris doubled the advantage in the 76th minute after she redirected a ball from junior forward Emily Murphy into the back of the net. The goal marked the sixth of her career and her second of the season. Junior defender Kristin Johnson and Murphy picked up their sixth and 12th assists of their careers, respectively.
Individually, Murphy led the team with three shots, with all three coming on-goal, while Meena and Colton tallied two shots apiece. In goal, junior Payton Cahill improved to 4-0-3 and remained unbeaten in her career.
The Demon Deacons lost just two games during the 2023 regular season, marking the fewest in program history, breaking the record of three during the 2011 season. This season also marked the first time in program history the Deacs were not shut out in a single game.
How It Happened
- The Demon Deacons dominated possession early, before Nikayla Small fired the first shot of the contest from outside of the box in the 10th minute, which was saved by Miami's Skylah Klein.
- The junior recorded the second shot of the game just two minutes later.
- Abbie Colton tallied a shot of her own in the 23rd minute that sailed high for a Miami goal kick.
- Malaika Meena nearly opened the scoring in the 25th minute, but her shot was blocked behind for the first corner of the evening.
- Dempsey Brown found herself on the end of the Chavoshi corner as her shot was saved by the Miami keeper.
- In the 31st minute, Emily Murphy fired her first shot of the game from just inside the box, but it was blocked by a Miami defender.
- Just seconds after coming on, Alex Wood got her head on the end of a cross as her shot sailed wide for a goal kick.
- Miami's first chance of the night came on a free kick in the 41st minute, but Payton Cahill came out and claimed it as the game remained scoreless.
- Brown earned the second Wake Forest corner of the night in the 43rd minute.
- The teams went into halftime deadlocked.
- Wake Forest held a 7-to-1 shot advantage through the first 45 minutes, including a 4-to-1 edge in shots on goal.
- The Deacs came out of the break with intense pressure, as they won four corners and fired three shots in the first 10 minutes of action in the second half.
- Captain Laurel Ansbrow put the Deacs in front as she got her head on the end of an Emily Morris corner in the 60th minute.
- It was the first goal of the season for the junior and the second of her career.
- Morris recorded her fifth-career assist and second of the season.
- The Demon Deacons continued to attack over the next 15 minutes until Morris doubled the advantage in the 76th minute after she redirected a ball from Murphy into the back of the net.
- The goal marked the sixth of her career and second of the season.
- Kristin Johnson and Murphy picked up their sixth and 12th assists of their careers, respectively.
- The Demon Deacons held on for the 2-0 victory and secured a spot in the ACC Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
- Emily Morris recorded a goal and assist Thursday, tying her career-high in points in a single game, with the other instance coming against Clemson (Sept. 22, 2022).
- Laurel Ansbrow's goal was the second of her career and the first since her goal at NC State last season (Sept. 18, 2022).
- Malaika Meena made her 50th-career appearance, becoming the third active Demon Deacon to accomplish the feat.
- Zara Chavoshi earned her 45th-career start.
- Emily Morris made her 45th-career appearance.
- Nikayla Small earned her 35th-career start.
- Caiya Hanks made her 35th-career appearance.
- Tyla Ochoa made her 35th-career appearance.
- Carly Wilson made her 30th-career appearance.
- Dempsey Brown earned her 15th-career start and appearance.
Standout Stats
- With the win, Wake Forest booked a spot in the 2023 Ally ACC Women's Soccer Tournament for the second time in three years. Currently, the top six are as follows:
- 1. Florida State
- 2. Notre Dame
- 3. Clemson
- 4. North Carolina
- 5. Pitt
- 6. Wake Forest
- The Demon Deacons lost just two games during the regular season, the fewest in program history, breaking the record of three during the 2011 season.
- This season also marked the first time in program history the Deacs were not shut out in a single game.
- Junior goalkeeper Payton Cahill finished the regular season unbeaten (4-0-3) with just four goals allowed across her seven starts.
Tony Time with Coach da Luz
"We put in a complete team performance tonight. We dominated the game from start to finish. I'm proud of our stretch run. This team deserves to be in the ACC Tournament. We are playing with confidence right now, which will carry us into Sunday's quarterfinal match."
Up Next
The Deacs will play third-seeded Clemson in the first round of the 2023 Ally ACC Women's Soccer Tournament on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs
Team Stats
WFU
MIA
Goals
2
0
Shots
14
1
Shots on Goal
8
1
Saves
1
6
Corners
8
0
Fouls
14
6
Scoring Plays

Laurel Ansbrow (1)
Assisted By: Emily Morris
GOAL by WFU Ansbrow, Laurel Assist by Morris, Emily.
59:21

Emily Morris (2)
Assisted By: Kristin Johnson , Emily Murphy
GOAL by WFU Morris, Emily Assist by Johnson, Kristin and Murphy, Emily.
75:33
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