
Demon Deacons Notch Pair of Second Half Goals to Secure Draw with Syracuse
10/5/2023 9:31:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Deacs outshot the Orange, 29-3, for the match.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After trailing 2-0 at the halftime break, the Wake Forest women's soccer team battled back to secure a 2-2 draw with Syracuse Thursday evening at SU Soccer Stadium in Syracuse N.Y.
With the tie, the Demon Deacons (8-1-3, 2-1-2 ACC) now have eight points with five league matches remaining.
Despite facing a 2-0 halftime deficit, the Deacs used a pair of second half goals from junior midfielder Anna Swanson and sophomore forward Hannah Johnson to notch the draw.
As a team, the Demon Deacons outshot the Orange by a clip of 29-3 with 14 of 29 attempts coming on goal. Of note, Wake Forest allowed zero Syracuse shot attempts in the second half defensively.
Individually, the Deacs were led in the shot column by juniors Emily Murphy and Nikayla Small as the duo combined for 11 total shots with five coming on goal.
How It Happened
Demon Deacon Details of Note
Standout Stats
Wake Forest attempted 29 shots Thursday, marking the most it's attempted in an ACC match this season. Defensively, the Demon Deacons allowed only three shot attempts. Over the past four matches, the Deacs have allowed only 17 combined shots, with only six coming on goal.
Shot Attempts (Last Four Matches)
Tony Time with Coach da Luz
"We made two mistakes in the first half, which is out of character for our team. Overall, we were average by our standards in the first half, but we came to life in the second half and did everything but get the winner. We will learn this hard lesson and recover Sunday versus Pitt."
Up Next
Wake Forest will conclude its road-swing with a matchup against Pitt on Sunday (Oct. 8). First kick is slated for 1 p.m. ET, and the match can be streamed on ACCNX.
Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs
With the tie, the Demon Deacons (8-1-3, 2-1-2 ACC) now have eight points with five league matches remaining.
Despite facing a 2-0 halftime deficit, the Deacs used a pair of second half goals from junior midfielder Anna Swanson and sophomore forward Hannah Johnson to notch the draw.
As a team, the Demon Deacons outshot the Orange by a clip of 29-3 with 14 of 29 attempts coming on goal. Of note, Wake Forest allowed zero Syracuse shot attempts in the second half defensively.
Individually, the Deacs were led in the shot column by juniors Emily Murphy and Nikayla Small as the duo combined for 11 total shots with five coming on goal.
How It Happened
- Syracuse came out aggressive, attempting the first shot less than a minute into the contest.
- Caiya Hanks nearly gave the Deacs an early lead but her attempt ricocheted off the woodwork.
- In the 26th minute, Malaika Meena fired a shot from just outside the 18 that was saved by Syracuse's keeper.
- Syracuse took a 1-0 lead with 17:41 remaining in the first half on a goal from Erin Flurey.
- The goal ended a 207-minute scoreless streak for the Orange against the Deacs.
- Syracuse extended its lead to 2-0 in the 42nd minute behind a goal from Anna Rupert.
- Wake Forest faced a 2-0 deficit at the halftime break.
- Despite trailing by two through 45 minutes, the Deacs tallied more shots (6-3) and corners (3-0) than the Orange.
- The Demon Deacons came out on the front foot, attempting two shots over the first 20 seconds of the second half but were unable to find the net.
- Wake Forest remained on the attack for the following 10 minutes.
- In the 57th minute, Anna Swanson scored to cut Syracuse's lead to 2-1.
- The Deacs created several chances over the ensuing 15 minutes but were unable to find the equalizer.
- The Demon Deacons continued to pressure Syracuse's back line, before Hannah Johnson evened the ledger in the 76th minute (2-2).
- The remaining 14 minutes of action featured six Wake Forest shot attempts.
- The Demon Deacons and the Orange battled to a 1-1 draw.
Demon Deacon Details of Note
- Emily Murphy made her 50th collegiate appearance, becoming the third Demon Deacon to do so this season (Stowell and K. Johnson)
- Zara Chavoshi earned her 40th-career start.
- Emily Morris earned her 40th-career appearance.
- Caiya Hanks earned her 30th-career start.
- Dempsey Brown earned her 10th-career start and appearance.
Standout Stats
Wake Forest attempted 29 shots Thursday, marking the most it's attempted in an ACC match this season. Defensively, the Demon Deacons allowed only three shot attempts. Over the past four matches, the Deacs have allowed only 17 combined shots, with only six coming on goal.
Shot Attempts (Last Four Matches)
Team | Shots | SOG |
NC State | 3 | 3 |
Virginia | 8 | 1 |
Virginia Tech | 3 | 0 |
Syracuse | 3 | 2 |
Tony Time with Coach da Luz
"We made two mistakes in the first half, which is out of character for our team. Overall, we were average by our standards in the first half, but we came to life in the second half and did everything but get the winner. We will learn this hard lesson and recover Sunday versus Pitt."
Up Next
Wake Forest will conclude its road-swing with a matchup against Pitt on Sunday (Oct. 8). First kick is slated for 1 p.m. ET, and the match can be streamed on ACCNX.
Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs
Team Stats
WFU
SYR
Goals
2
2
Shots
29
3
Shots on Goal
14
2
Saves
0
12
Corners
9
0
Fouls
12
12
Scoring Plays

Erin Flurey (5)
Assisted By: Hannah Pilley
GOAL by SYR Flurey, Erin Assist by Pilley, Hannah.
27:09

Raia James (1)
Assisted By: Anna Rupert
GOAL by SYR James, Raia Assist by Rupert, Anna.
41:20

Anna Swanson (2)
GOAL by WFU Swanson, Anna.
56:34

Hannah Johnson (2)
GOAL by WFU Johnson, Hannah.
75:08
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