Demon Deacons to Play for First-Ever National Championship on Monday

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – For the first time in program history, the Wake Forest women's soccer team is set to compete for the national championship against fellow ACC foe North Carolina at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on Monday, Dec. 9.

The match is slated for 7 p.m. and will be shown live on ESPNU and ESPN+. Live stats will be available here. For those planning to attend, tickets are available for purchase here.

NCAA College Cup - National Championship
(2) Wake Forest (16-3-4) vs. (2) North Carolina (21-5-0)
Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 - 7 p.m. - ESPNU
Cary, N.C. – WakeMed Soccer Park

National Championship Bound

For the first time in program history, the Demon Deacons will appear in the NCAA championship game, securing a rematch against North Carolina on Monday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.
- With the Deacs win over the Cardinal, the NCAA championship game will feature two schools from the state of North Carolina for the first time since 1992.
A win would mark the 11th national championship in Wake Forest Athletics history as women's soccer would become the seventh program to accomplish the feat.
- The Demon Deacons could also become the 12th different women's soccer program to win the national title, the first first-time winner since Penn State in 2015.
Wake Forest will conclude its 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with 22 of them coming under the helm of Tony da Luz.
- Coach da Luz is one of just 26 coaches to coach in the College Cup multiple times (2011, 2024). Additionally, he is one of 20 coaches all-time to have 24 or more NCAA Tournament wins.
- 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 27-21-1 in the tournament.

NCAA Tournament Appearances by Head Coach

Rank	Appearances	Schools
1. Anson Dorrance	42	North Carolina
2. Jerry Smith*	34	Santa Clara
3. Len Tsantiris	31	UConn
T4. G Guerrieri*	29	Texas A&M
T4. Steve Swanson*	29	Dartmouth/Stanford/Virginia
6. Jennifer Rockwood*	25	BYU
T7. Tony da Luz*	23	San Diego/Wake Forest
T7. Nikki Izzo-Brown*	23	West Virginia
T9. John Daly	22	William & Mary
T9. Becky Burleigh	22	Florida

*Active coaches

Historic Regular Season

Five members of the Wake Forest women's soccer team were selected for 2024 All-ACC honors, 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.
- On Tuesday, the same five were also named All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches, with Hanks earning First Team honors followed by Colton and Chavoshi on the second team, Murphy on the third team and Amaral on the fourth team.
The Demon Deacons are currently ranked No. 3 in United Soccer Coaches Poll. This season, they were ranked as high as No. 2, the highest ranking in program history.
- Additionally, Wake Forest sits seventh in RPI and first in the TopDrawerSoccer poll.
On Sept. 19, the Demon Deacons claimed their first-ever win over a No. 1 team as they took down Stanford, 1-0.
- The Deacs 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.
Wake Forest finished with 22 points in ACC play as it finished second in the ACC, tied for the best finish in program history.
- 22 points and seven total wins in conference play is the most in program history.
This season, Wake Forest had three players selected as an ACC Offensive Players of the Week with Caiya Hanks, Emily Colton and Emily Murphy all garnering the honors over the last two months.
- The Deacs also placed three on the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 list with Emily Colton (#2), Emily Morris (#45) and Zara Chavoshi (#64).
The Deacs currently have five top-10 wins this season, the most for the Deacs in program history.
Two weeks ago, Wake Forest placed six on the CSC Academic All-Region Team (Hanks, Ansbrow, Colton, Murphy, Chavoshi, Morris).
In addition to posting the best goals-against average in the conference, the Wake Forest defense only conceded seven goals during ACC play, the fewest in the conference as well as the second-most clean sheets with five.
11 goals allowed in the regular season is the fewest in program history, beating last season's record by three goals.

The Flyin' Hawaiian

With three goals and five assists so far in the NCAA tournament, star forward Caiya Hanks currently ranks inside the top 10 in program history in points (34), goals (11) and assists (12) for a single season.
- Her first-half strike against USC moved her into third in program history in total points (33) and now only trails Katie Stengel's 2010 (37 points) and 2011 (46 points) seasons.
- Hanks is currently tied for the most total points (11) and leads in assists (5) in the NCAA Tournament, while also sitting tied for sixth in goals (3).
Her secondary assist on the winning goal against Stanford in the semifinal broke the single-season Wake Forest record, as she now has 12 on the season.
On Wednesday, she was named as a MAC Hermann Semifinalist, just the second player in Wake Forest history to accomplish this.
With her assist in the second round, she became just the sixth player at the D1 level this season to reach 10 goals and 10 assists, and third to do so in program history, joining Anne Shropshire (1998) and Kaley Fountain (2009).
- Her 11 goals this year are the most for the Deacs since 2021.
Heading into the weekend, Hanks ranks fifth in the ACC in total points, seventh in goals, and fourth in assists.
- Additionally, her 18 points in conference play ranked second in the ACC and her seven goals were tied for the most.
Hanks has also added four game-winning goals this season, which ranks third in the conference.
The Hawaiian has also recorded seven games this season with multiple goal contributions, including two in the NCAA Tournament alone against Morehead State (two goals, two assists) and USC (one goal, one assist).
Despite only being a junior, she is already sixth all-time in program history in career assists with 18 and is now four points away from cracking the top 10, currently sitting at 55.
In addition to being named First Team All-ACC, Hanks was also tabbed to TopDrawerSoccer's National Team of the Week for her performance against Morehead State in the first round.

The Emily Trifecta

Following her opening goal against Colorado, senior midfielder Emily Colton has recorded at least one goal contribution in 11 of her last 19 appearances for the Demon Deacons and is third on the team with 21 total points.
- In the tournament opener, she recorded the first multi-assist game of her career.
- She now has seven goals on the year which ties a career high she set her freshman campaign.
- Additionally, her seven assists this season also set a career high.
- She had a goal contribution in seven of Wake Forest's 10 ACC matches.
- Colton was ranked as the No. 2 player in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer earlier this season.
Continuing her incredible 13-game stretch, scoring seven times and notching five assists during that span, senior forward Emily Murphy motivated her teammates on the pitch en route to the 1-0 victory over Stanford on Friday night.
- Murphy has scored in three of the five NCAA Tournament games so far.
- She is 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, the most of any active Demon Deacon.
Emily Morris has been a crucial part of Wake Forest's success this season, playing in a versatile role throughout the season. Despite playing in a more defensive role, she has scored in three of the last six matches for the Deacs, including the winner against Stanford in the semifinals.
- She now has 10 goals for her career in addition to seven assists for 27 points.
- Of note, she is one of four players to have started and played every match so far this year.
- Morris was named to the ACC All-Tournament team following her equalizer against Florida State in the semifinals.
- All four of her goals this season have come in big moments, with two against defending national champions Florida State and one against Colorado in the second round.

Brick Wall Amaral

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Valentina Amaral had an incredible performance in the quarterfinals against USC and single-handedly kept the Demon Deacons alive for most of the contest.
- She finished with a career-high six saves, including a one-on-one stop in the second overtime period.
- The Florida-native then stopped two penalties in the shootout to secure Wake Forest's spot in the College Cup.
In the semifinals, she logged four saves including an incredible diving stop in the first half that earned its way on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays.
Her .670 goals-against average this season is the third-best best in the ACC heading into the weekend and it 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 12-2-3 in matches she has started for her career.
She came up with a huge penalty save in the victory over No. 6 Florida State and logged four saves in the historic 1-0 win against No. 1 Stanford earlier in the year.

Fast Starters

The Demon Deacons have wasted no time getting on the board this season, scoring eight goals within the first 20 minutes so far this campaign and six within the first 10.
- Nikayla Small - :59 vs. NC State (10/31/24)
- Anna Swanson - 1:47 vs. Morehead State (11/15/24)
- Abbie Colton - 2:00 vs. Mississippi State (8/25/24)
- Emily Murphy - 2:17 vs. Syracuse (9/29/24)
- Emily Colton - 5:10 vs. Colorado (11/22/24)
- Emily Murphy - 9:05 vs. California (9/22/24)
- Caiya Hanks - 12:26 vs. Morehead State (11/15/24)
- Caiya Hanks - 16:30 vs. Virginia (9/15/24)
Nikayla Small's opener against NC State was the fourth-fastest goal in program history at 59 seconds and was the fastest for the Deacs since 2006.

Elite Backline

Wake Forest has kept the same back four for the last 15 matches (aside from a back five on one instance against Florida State in the ACC Tournament, but the same four players started as Emily Morris slotted back). During this span, Wake Forest is 11-1-3 and have only conceded 10 goals.
- Left back: Kristin Johnson - Senior
  - The Reykjavík, Iceland-native has the most appearances (79) and starts (72) in a Wake Forest uniform out of all active Demon Deacons, having logged over 6,000 career minutes across her four years.
  - Despite being a natural center back, Johnson has thrived at full back and has recorded 10-career assists, including four this season.
- Center back: Zara Chavoshi - Senior
  - Chavoshi leads the team with 2,062 minutes on the pitch this season and is the only player on the back line to have started every game.
  - She has started 69 of her 72 collegiate appearances, scoring twice and recording four assists across 6,196 career minutes.
- Center back: Laurel Ansbrow - Senior
  - Yet another experienced veteran, Ansbrow is a leader on and off the pitch.
  - She has appeared in all 23 matches with 22 starts.
  - With 107 minutes against USC, Ansbrow became the third Demon Deacon on the back line to surpass 5,000 career minutes.
- Right back: Sierra Sythe - Redshirt Freshman
  - After missing her entire first season due to injury, Sierra Sythe has made an instant impact in 2024.
  - Sythe is a natural winger, but due to injuries at right back, she was slotted into defense and has used her incredible speed to overlap as well as clean up the limited mistakes around her.
  - She has scored three goals this season and added three assists, including the assist on the winner in the semifinals..
In addition to posting the best goals-against average in the conference, the Wake Forest defense only conceded seven goals during ACC play, the fewest in the conference as well as the second-most clean sheets with five.
11 goals allowed in the regular season is the fewest in program history, beating last season's record by three goals.

Last Time Out

Behind the lone marker in the game from senior midfielder Emily Morris, the Wake Forest women's soccer team has advanced to the 2024 NCAA National Championship after defeating Stanford, 1-0, in the College Cup semifinals Friday night in Cary, N.C. It marks the first championship appearance in program history for the Demon Deacons.
The Deacs broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute when a cross from redshirt freshman Sierra Sythe found senior Emily Morris at the back post. Morris' shot took a deflection off the The Cardinal goalkeeper's hand and bounced over the touchline. The goal was the latest the first goal has been scored in a national semifinal since 2018.
The goal marked the fourth for Morris on the season and second of the NCAA Tournament. Junior Caiya Hanks also picked up a secondary assist on the goal, marking her 12th of the season, breaking the program record for assists in a single season. Additionally, Hanks has recorded 34 points this season including 11 goals.
In net, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Valentina Amaral notched four saves in the game in order to secure her 11th win and her seventh clean sheet of the season.
On the defensive side, the back line of Sythe and seniors Laurel Ansbrow, Kristin Johnson, and Zara Chavoshi held the Cardinal to only seven shots on the game, moving to 5-1-2 this season when holding opponents to 6-to-10 shots allowed in a game.

Noting the Tar Heels

Following the retirement of one of the most influential coaches in the history of college athletics, North Carolina has reached the national championship match under interim head coach Damon Nahas.
- This marks the 28th appearance in the title game for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina is led by the nation's top goal-scorer Kate Fasse, who tallied her 20th goal of the season in the 3-0 victory over Duke in the semifinals in addition to her fourth assist on the year.
- In addition to Wake Forest's Caiya Hanks, Faasse is the other MAC Hermann Semifinalist competing on Monday.

Series History vs. North Carolina

Wake Forest will be looking for its first victory over North Carolina since the 2-1 win in Chapel Hill in 2012.
- Last season, the Demon Deacons earned a 1-1 draw at home against the Tar Heels thanks to a late Emily Murphy equalizer. It marked the first non-defeat for Wake Forest against North Carolina since the 2012 match.
Earlier this year, Wake Forest controlled a majority of the contest in Chapel Hill, but inevitably fell 1-0 with the Tar Heel goal coming against the run of play.

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Demon Deacons to Play for First-Ever National Championship on Monday

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Laurel Ansbrow

Zara Chavoshi

Abbie Colton

Emily Colton

Caiya Hanks

Kristin Johnson

Emily Morris

Emily Murphy

Nikayla Small

Anna Swanson

Sierra Sythe

Wake Forest Athletics

Demon Deacons to Play for First-Ever National Championship on Monday

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Laurel Ansbrow

Zara Chavoshi

Abbie Colton

Emily Colton

Caiya Hanks

Kristin Johnson

Emily Morris

Emily Murphy

Nikayla Small

Anna Swanson

Sierra Sythe

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