Wake Forest Athletics
Program-Record Five Demon Deacons Earn All-ACC Honors
11/6/2024 12:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Junior forward Caiya Hanks became the 10th Wake Forest player to be tabbed All-ACC First Team.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Five members of the Wake Forest women's soccer team were selected for 2024 All-ACC honors, the conference office announced on Wednesday, headlined by a First-Team selection for junior forward Caiya Hanks. A senior trio of midfielder Emily Colton, forward Emily Murphy and defender Zara Chavoshi tabbed second-team nods, while redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Valentina Amaral earned third-team honors.
Five players earning All-ACC nods is the most in program history. Additionally, Hanks became the 10th Wake Forest player to be tabbed All-ACC First Team and first since Aubrey Bledsoe in 2013.
All-ACC First Team - Wake Forest History
The Deacs also became the first team in NCAA history to take down a No. 1-ranked team and a No. 2-ranked team in back-to-back matches after downing No. 2 Virginia in Charlottesville on Sept. 15.
All of this has helped the Demon Deacons finish second in the ACC standings for just the second time with a program-record seven ACC wins and 22 points.
Caiya Hanks | All-ACC First-Team | Forward
Hanks finished the regular season with a team-best eight goals, seven assists and 23 total points, including a goal in four of the last six matches. She currently ranks eighth in the ACC in total points, ninth in goals and assists.
She has tallied four game-winning goals so far this season as well as five games with multiple goal contributions, both tied for the second-most in the conference.
Additionally, her 18 points in conference play ranked second in the ACC and her seven goals were tied for the most. Of note, she is now five points away from cracking the top 10 in program history for a single season.
The junior forward has taken a giant leap in all three of her collegiate seasons, improving every aspect of her game. This is also her third-consecutive season earning a yearly ACC award. Earlier this season, she was tabbed ACC Offensive Player of the Week for her brace against No. 2 Virginia.
Emily Colton | All-ACC Second Team | Midfielder
In her lone season with the Demon Deacons, Colton has been exceptional at the 10 and has revitalized the Wake Forest attack. So far this campaign, she ranks second on the team with 17 total points on six goals and five assists, with at least one goal-contribution in seven of the Deacs' 10 ACC matches.
Earlier this year, she was tabbed as the second-best player in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer as well as being named ACC Offensive Player of the Week in late-September. Those honors came after her two-goal weekend, including the lone goal against No. 1 Stanford that saw Wake Forest knock off a No. 1-ranked team for the first time in program history.
In the final non-conference match against UNC Asheville, Colton notched a brace and an assist in the 5-0 victory. It marked the first three-plus goal contribution game of her career and second brace.
Emily Murphy | All-ACC Second Team | Forward
In her second season in a Wake Forest uniform, Murphy has been a phenomenal leader on the Wake Forest front line.
Over her last six games played, she has scored four times and notched four assists. She is now tied for first on the team with a career-high seven assists this season and ranks third in the squad with 15 total points. Additionally, she has 20 goals and 19 assists for her collegiate career, putting her at 59 total points.
She notched a goal and an assist in the 4-1 victory over No. 6 Florida State as well as the 3-0 win over Big Four foe NC State in the regular season finale at Spry Stadium.
Zara Chavoshi | All-ACC Second Team | Defender
Chavoshi has guided the Wake Forest backline this season to nine clean sheets and 11 goals. She leads the team with nearly 1,500 minutes played this season and has gone the full 90 in all but two of Wake Forest's 17 matches, including all 10 ACC games.
11 goals conceded in the regular season is the fewest in program history, beating the record set last year by three goals.
Chavoshi and the Demon Deacons have limited opponents to just 6.8 shots per-game and 2.7 shots-on-goal per-game. Of note, Wake Forest limited North Carolina, a team that averages over 16 shots-per-game to just three shots in Chapel Hill.
Valentina Amaral | All-ACC Third-Team | Goalkeeper
While the Wake Forest backline has been exceptional this season, the defensive success of the Deacs can also be accredited to the work between the sticks. In her first full season, Amaral has started all 10 ACC matches and has only allowed seven goals, the fewest in the conference.
Her .667 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 rank as the second-most in the ACC.
She came up with a huge penalty save in the victory over No. 6 Florida State and logged a career-high four saves in the historic 1-0 win against No. 1 Stanford.
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will continue their successful 2024 campaign at the ACC Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. as they take on three-seed Florida State in the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 7.
The match is slated for 5:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here. For those unable to attend, both semifinal matches will be broadcast live on ACC Network with the championship match showing on ESPNU at noon on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs
Five players earning All-ACC nods is the most in program history. Additionally, Hanks became the 10th Wake Forest player to be tabbed All-ACC First Team and first since Aubrey Bledsoe in 2013.
All-ACC First Team - Wake Forest History
- Erin Regan (1999)
- Emily Taggart (1999, 2000, 2001)
- Joline Charlton (2000)
- Stacy Roeck (2001)
- Elizabeth Remy (2006)
- Jill Hutchinson (2007, 2009)
- Kaley Fountain (2009)
- Katie Stengel (2010, 2011, 2012)
- Aubrey Bledsoe (2011, 2013)
- Caiya Hanks (2024)
The Deacs also became the first team in NCAA history to take down a No. 1-ranked team and a No. 2-ranked team in back-to-back matches after downing No. 2 Virginia in Charlottesville on Sept. 15.
All of this has helped the Demon Deacons finish second in the ACC standings for just the second time with a program-record seven ACC wins and 22 points.
Caiya Hanks | All-ACC First-Team | Forward
Hanks finished the regular season with a team-best eight goals, seven assists and 23 total points, including a goal in four of the last six matches. She currently ranks eighth in the ACC in total points, ninth in goals and assists.
She has tallied four game-winning goals so far this season as well as five games with multiple goal contributions, both tied for the second-most in the conference.
Additionally, her 18 points in conference play ranked second in the ACC and her seven goals were tied for the most. Of note, she is now five points away from cracking the top 10 in program history for a single season.
The junior forward has taken a giant leap in all three of her collegiate seasons, improving every aspect of her game. This is also her third-consecutive season earning a yearly ACC award. Earlier this season, she was tabbed ACC Offensive Player of the Week for her brace against No. 2 Virginia.
| Season | Goals | Assists | Points | Awards |
| Freshman | 1 | 3 | 5 | ACC All-Freshman |
| Sophomore | 6 | 4 | 16 | Second-Team All-ACC |
| Junior | 8 | 7 | 23 | First-Team All-ACC |
| Totals | 15 | 14 | 44 | — |
In her lone season with the Demon Deacons, Colton has been exceptional at the 10 and has revitalized the Wake Forest attack. So far this campaign, she ranks second on the team with 17 total points on six goals and five assists, with at least one goal-contribution in seven of the Deacs' 10 ACC matches.
Earlier this year, she was tabbed as the second-best player in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer as well as being named ACC Offensive Player of the Week in late-September. Those honors came after her two-goal weekend, including the lone goal against No. 1 Stanford that saw Wake Forest knock off a No. 1-ranked team for the first time in program history.
In the final non-conference match against UNC Asheville, Colton notched a brace and an assist in the 5-0 victory. It marked the first three-plus goal contribution game of her career and second brace.
Emily Murphy | All-ACC Second Team | Forward
In her second season in a Wake Forest uniform, Murphy has been a phenomenal leader on the Wake Forest front line.
Over her last six games played, she has scored four times and notched four assists. She is now tied for first on the team with a career-high seven assists this season and ranks third in the squad with 15 total points. Additionally, she has 20 goals and 19 assists for her collegiate career, putting her at 59 total points.
She notched a goal and an assist in the 4-1 victory over No. 6 Florida State as well as the 3-0 win over Big Four foe NC State in the regular season finale at Spry Stadium.
Zara Chavoshi | All-ACC Second Team | Defender
Chavoshi has guided the Wake Forest backline this season to nine clean sheets and 11 goals. She leads the team with nearly 1,500 minutes played this season and has gone the full 90 in all but two of Wake Forest's 17 matches, including all 10 ACC games.
11 goals conceded in the regular season is the fewest in program history, beating the record set last year by three goals.
Chavoshi and the Demon Deacons have limited opponents to just 6.8 shots per-game and 2.7 shots-on-goal per-game. Of note, Wake Forest limited North Carolina, a team that averages over 16 shots-per-game to just three shots in Chapel Hill.
Valentina Amaral | All-ACC Third-Team | Goalkeeper
While the Wake Forest backline has been exceptional this season, the defensive success of the Deacs can also be accredited to the work between the sticks. In her first full season, Amaral has started all 10 ACC matches and has only allowed seven goals, the fewest in the conference.
Her .667 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 rank as the second-most in the ACC.
She came up with a huge penalty save in the victory over No. 6 Florida State and logged a career-high four saves in the historic 1-0 win against No. 1 Stanford.
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will continue their successful 2024 campaign at the ACC Championships at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. as they take on three-seed Florida State in the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 7.
The match is slated for 5:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased here. For those unable to attend, both semifinal matches will be broadcast live on ACC Network with the championship match showing on ESPNU at noon on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
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