Sunday, November 24
Winston-Salem, N.C.
2 p.m.

Wake Forest University

15-3-3, 7-2-1

1
vs
0

Ohio State

14-6-3, 6-3-2

1
2
F
Ohio St.
0
0
0
Wake Forest
0
1
1
Team Photo

Demon Deacons Defeat Ohio State, Advance to Quarterfinals for Third Time in Program History

11/24/2024 5:44:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Senior forward Emily Murphy scored for the third-consecutive game with a 75th-minute winner.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – For the third time in program history and first since 2011, the No. 2-seeded Wake Forest women's soccer team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 victory over No. 3-seed Ohio State Sunday afternoon at Spry Stadium.

The Demon Deacons (15-3-3) dominated throughout the contest and finally found the breakthrough at the foot of senior forward Emily Murphy in the 76th minute on a counter-attack. The Windsor, England-native received the ball from junior forward Hannah Johnson and drove into the box before firing it between two defenders and into the back of the net.

Murphy has scored in all three NCAA Tournament games and is now second on the team with 22 points on the year with seven goals and eight assists, all of which are career-highs.

Wake Forest had four players go the full 90 minutes, including defenders Laurel Ansbrow, Zara Chavoshi, Sierra Sythe and midfielder/defender Emily Morris. All four played a major role in limiting the Buckeyes (14-6-3) to just three shots (two on-goal) over the 90 minutes. The Demon Deacons finished with a +13 advantage in shots and +4 in shots on-goal.

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Valentina Amaral stopped both shots that tested the Wake Forest net, including a finger-tip save with three minutes to go to seal the victory. This marked her eighth clean sheet of the season (solo and combined) as she improved to 11-2-2 in starts for her career.

With the win, Wake Forest improved to 9-1-1 at home this season and 20-3-6 since the start of 2022. Of note, the Deacs are also 3-0 all-time against the Buckeyes with two wins in tournament play.

Elite 8 Bound
  • Wake Forest advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time in program history, with the previous two times coming in 2011 and 2009.
    • The Deacs' best-ever finish came in 2011 when they made the first College Cup in program history with the likes of Katie Stengel leading the line and Aubrey Bledsoe in goal.
  • Sunday marked Wake Forest's sixth all-time appearance in the round of 16 and first since 2018. 
    • The Deacs now hold a 3-2-1 record in the round of 16.
  • On Friday, the Deacs made their 16th all-time appearance in the Round of 32 and second in the last four seasons (2021).
  • Wake Forest is in the midst of its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with 22 of them coming under the helm of Tony da Luz.
    • The Demon Deacons have made three of the last four tournaments, just missing out last year with a record of 10-3-5 and a sixth-place ACC finish.
  • Wake Forest now holds an overall record of 25-21-1 in the tournament, including a 17-2-1 mark in Winston-Salem.
Spry is a Fortress
  • Spry has almost guaranteed results for the Demon Deacons over the last three seasons, as Wake Forest has posted a stellar 20-3-6 record at home since the start of 2022.
  • Before the loss to Duke, the Demon Deacons held the program record for longest home unbeaten streak at 15 matches.
    • During the 15-game run, eight resulted in a clean sheet for the Deacs as they outscored opponents 35-8.
    • It marked the second-longest active home unbeaten run in the ACC, behind only Florida State's 25.
Brick Wall Amaral
  • Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Valentina Amaral recorded her eighth clean sheet of the season (solo and combined) and recorded an enormous finger-tip save with three minutes remaining.
  • Her .640 goals-against average this season is the best in the ACC and currently ranks as the lowest in program history.
    • Additionally, her five clean sheets in conference play ranked as the second-most in the ACC.
  • In her first full season, Amaral started all 10 ACC matches and only allowed seven goals, the fewest in the conference. 
  • Amaral is now 11-2-2 in matches she has started for her career.
Murph on Fire
  • With her 75th minute winner, senior forward Emily Murphy has now scored in all-three NCAA tournament games.
  • Murphy continued her incredible 11-game stretch, scoring seven times and notching five assists during that span.
    • She is now second on the team with 22 points on the year with seven goals and eight assists, all of which are career-highs.
    • Additionally, she has 23 goals and 20 assists for her collegiate career, putting her at 66 points.
Other Demon Deacon Details of Note
  • With her assist on the winner, Hannah Johnson now has two on the year in addition to three goals for eight total points, all setting a new career high.
  • Zara Chavoshi made her 70th-career appearance in the Old Gold & Black, becoming the second active Demon Deacon to reach this mark, joining Kristin Johnson (77).
  • Laurel Ansbrow made her 60th-career appearance.
How It Happened
  • Emily Morris registered the first shot of the afternoon two minutes in, as her attempt from the edge of the box went high and wide.
  • Wake Forest kept the pressure up early and almost capitalized on a couple of counter-attacks in the first few minutes.
    • Sierra Sythe called the Ohio State keeper into action for the first time with a powerful shot in the sixth minute.
  • Caiya Hanks caused Ohio State's backline plenty of problems in the first half and fired her first shot of the contest in the 25th minute, but it was blocked by a Buckeye defender.
  • The Demon Deacons had another chance in the 32nd minute, when Emily Murphy had a strong headed attempt miss wide left.
  • The Ohio State defense once again found themselves in a dangerous situation five minutes later as the Deacs crowded the box, but were unable to get a clear-cut chance.
  • The Deacs had two more chances before the break, with Anna Swanson and Emily Morris both coming close to an opener in the 37th and 45th minutes, respectively. 
  • Wake Forest went into the locker room out-shooting Ohio State 9-to-0, with a 3-to-0 edge in shots on-goal.
  • Emily Morris recorded the first three shots of the second half, all within the first 15 minutes.
  • In the 62nd minute, Emily Colton forced the Buckeye keeper into her fourth save of the afternoon as Wake Forest stayed on the front foot heading into the final half-hour.
  • Ohio State fired its first shot of the game in the 66th minute, but Ansbrow got in front of it as Amaral remained untested.
  • Murphy fired the Demon Deacons in front with 15 minutes remaining, scoring for the third consecutive game, once again on a great Wake Forest counter attack.
    • After receiving the ball from Hannah Johnson, Murphy drove into the box, fired it between two defenders and into the back of the net.
  • Down a goal, Ohio State registered its first shot on-goal in the 78th minute, but Amaral controlled it.
  • With three minutes remaining, the Buckeyes came close to an equalizer, but Amaral came up with a huge finger-tip save and secured Wake Forest's spot in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory.
From Coach da Luz
"I'm incredibly proud of our entire team and staff. This Friday and Sunday was a big challenge for us and we responded with a great performance today! Our Captain, Emily Murphy came up huge in the moment to score and our defensive effort to close out the last minutes was clutch. Our team deserves to be here in the quarterfinals and we look forward to the next match!"

Up Next
The Demon Deacons will now await the winner of (1) USC and (5) Wisconsin taking place later this evening. If USC wins, the Deacs will travel to California for the quarterfinals. If Wisconsin wins, the Badgers will come to Spry Stadium on Friday.

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Team Stats

OSU
WFU
Goals
0
1
Shots
3
16
Shots on Goal
2
6
Saves
5
2
Corners
2
4
Fouls
8
13
Scoring Plays
Logo

Emily Murphy (7)

Assisted By: Hannah Johnson

GOAL by WFU Murphy, Emily Assist by Johnson, Hannah.

75:38

Game Leaders

Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
6
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0

Players Mentioned

Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
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