Deacon Sports Xtra: Men's and Women's Soccer to Kick-Off 2024 Home Season with Double-Header

Deacon Sports Xtra: Men's and Women's Soccer to Kick-Off 2024 Home Season with Double-Header

8/22/2024 11:29:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer

The women’s soccer team will take on Temple at 6 p.m. while the men’s soccer team takes on VCU in their 2024 season-opener at 8 p.m.

By: Dylan Shackelford and KJ Smith

Winston-Salem, N.C. – The Wake Forest men's and women's soccer teams will be hosting a double-header on Thursday night in their respective home-openers, with the women's team hosting Temple in the first game at 6 p.m. and the men's team opening their 2024 season against VCU to cap off the night at 8 p.m.

The women's soccer team has not lost a game at home since 2022 after an outstanding undefeated season at Spry Stadium last season. Over the last two seasons, Wake Forest has compiled an impressive 11-2-5 record at home.

Meanwhile, the men's soccer team has led the nation in home wins since 2015, winning 102 contests at Spry Stadium, which is 16 more than any other program in that time span. The team's 82.5 win percentage at home since 2015 also ranks tied for third in the nation, behind only Indiana and New Hampshire.

Both matches will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. Tickets for both matches start at $5 and can be purchased here for both the women's and men's contests.

Women's Soccer Returning Production

The Wake Forest women's soccer team will be bringing back 84.4% of its goal production (27 of 32) and 100% of its assists (22 of 22) from last season.
The team will be made up of 19 seniors, including two veteran transfers in Emily Colton (midfielder from UNC) and Pagie Nurkin (goalkeeper from Columbia) that will make an instant impact. 19 seniors is believed to be the most in NCAA D1 in 2024.
- 29 total returners is the second-most in NCAA D1 and most in the ACC.
Just a few of the key returners include:
- Senior defender Laurel Ansbrow has been the leader of the defense over the last two seasons and has led all outfield players in minutes during that span.
- Junior Forward Caiya Hanks led the team with 16 points last campaign with six goals and four assists.
- Senior forward Emily Murphy finished tied for the team lead with six goals in addition to two assists for 14 total points in her first season in the Old Gold & Black.
- Junior goalkeeper Payton Cahill finished her first true regular season with a record of 4-0-3 and allowed just four goals in seven starts.
- Senior midfielder Nikayla Small's seven assists was a career-high and finished the regular season fifth in the ACC and 40th nationally. Additionally, seven assists ranks tied for the eighth most in a single season in Wake Forest history.
- Freshman defender Dempsey Brown was a crucial part of the Demon Deacon's backline and midfield throughout the season. She has started 16 of Wake Forest's 18 games and has played the full 90 minutes in 12 matches. She led all freshmen on the team with 1,355 minutes played en route to an ACC All-Freshman Team selection.

Meet The Newcomers

The Demon Deacons welcome six new players to the roster for the 2024 campaign, including four freshman and two veteran transfers. TopDrawerSoccer has the Demon Deacons with the No. 17-ranked recruiting class.
- Emily Colton (North Carolina)
  - Joins her sister, Abbie, on the Wake Forest women's soccer team after three successful seasons with the Tar Heels. She started all 67 possible games over the last three seasons and has been stellar in the midfield. She finished 2023 with two goals and one assist. In 2022, she ranked fourth on the team and 13th in the ACC in total assists (6), including three in a single game against Baylor. She was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2021 after leading the Tar Heels in goals (7) and finished second on the team in total points (15). She was called up to join the U.S. Under-20 Women's Youth National Team to compete in the Concacaf Women's Championship and the four-team Sud Ladies Cup in 2022. Colton was one of four Americans named to the Concacaf Women's U-20 Championship Best XI Team, leading the USA in assists in the tournament with five and helped the US win its seventh Concacaf U20 title and earn a spot in the Women's U20 World Cup.
- Paige Nurkin (Columbia)
  - In 2023 for Columbia, Nurkin started 18 games and allowed just 13 goals all season for a 0.75 goals against average. She totaled 61 saves for an 82.4 save percentage and finished the season with a 10-5-3 record including seven shutouts. Her performances saw her named First Team All-Ivy League and Academic All-Ivy. She played a major role in helping Columbia lead the nation in goals against average, save percentage and shutout percentage at points during the season. Nurkin tallied four saves to help lead Columbia past Rutgers for the first NCAA Tournament win in program history.
- Chloe Burst (Mount Carmel Academy)
  - Burst played on varsity as an eighth grader at Mount Carmel Academy and was named to the All-State First Team. The following year as a freshman, she won the Louisiana High School State Championship and was named MVP while once again earning All-State First Team. She played for 2007 TDPElite Boys and 2006 ECNL Girls from 2021-23 and was invited to USYNT ID Camps in 2021, 2022 and 2023. She comes in as the No. 58-ranked recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.
- Amaya Dawkins (Wylie East)
  - As a midfielder for Wylie East, Dawkins was named District MVP in back-to-back seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24, as well as named to the Texas All-State First Team. She was also named District Midfielder of the Year during her freshman and sophomore campaigns. In 2022-23, she earned Texas All-State Tournament Team Honors. For FC Dallas she was tabbed ECNL Texas First Team All-Conference in 2020-21 and Second Team in 2021-22. She joins Wake Forest as the No. 80-ranked recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.
- Lola Ressler (Montverde Academy)
  - Ressler was a 2024 Florida Class 3A State Champion and earned State Championship MVP Honors before coming to Wake Forest. She was named to the 2024 All-Area First Team and tabbed ECNL Southeast All Conference First Team honors twice. Ressler also garnered Southeast All-Conference First Team honors. She comes to Winston-Salem as a top-200 recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.
- Josie Noble (New Trier)
  - For New Trier Township High School, Noble was named Central Suburban League All-Conference twice and earned Illinois All-State honors. She was a three-time Illinois State Champion, Central Suburban League Offensive Player of the Year and Naperville Invitational MVP. Noble played club for Eclipse Select SC.

Men's Soccer's Veteran Presence In 2024

Wake Forest's 2024 roster features eight players who have appeared in more than 40 career matches including four fifth-year returnees in Colin Thomas, Prince Amponsah, Sidney Paris and Cristian Escribano.
Additionally, Trace Alphin, Julian Kennedy, Babacar Niang, Nicolas Mancilla and Bo Cummins – all members of TopDrawerSoccer's No. 1 nationally ranked 2021 recruiting class – and the returning Ryan Fessler will be entering their fourth seasons in the Old Gold & Black.

New Kids On The Block

New to the roster this season are 10 freshmen and two transfers, as Wake Forest's 2024 incoming class ranked No. 4 nationally in TopDrawerSoccer's final recruiting rankings.
Along with the freshmen newcomers, a pair of all-conference transfers joined the program in 2022 A-10 Rookie of the Year Basit Umar and 2023 All-Big East third-team selection Pierce Bateson.
- Basit Umar
  - The 2022 A-10 Rookie of the Year and an All-A10 selection, Umar arrived in Winston-Salem following two seasons at Dayton. During his time with the Flyers, he appeared in 29 matches with 23 starts to record 14 points off five goals and four assists.
- Pierce Bateson
  - Named to the All-Big East third-team in 2023, Bateson spent his first two collegiate seasons at UConn where he appeared in 34 matches with 23 starts, registering six assists with three goals. During the 2023 campaign, Bateson logged 1,281 minutes of action while ranking second on UConn in points with 10 off of four assists and three goals.
- Pariss Mitchell
  - Enrolling at Wake Forest in January 2024, Mitchell joined the Demon Deacons as the No. 1 rated player in his class for First Touch Football Canada. He was with Toronto FC during his youth development, was a member of the Colorado Rapids II and spent time with Vaughan SC, the same program that current teammate Sidney Paris and Wake Forest alum Alistair Johnston previously attended.
- Daniel Krueger
  - Also enrolling mid-year at Wake Forest, Krueger attended YSC Academy and played in the Philadelphia Union's Academy system. He ranks as a top-30 defender in the Class of 2024 and the No. 4 player out of Pennsylvania.
- Dylan Borso
  - The second-highest ranked college commit in the Class of 2024, Borso was the No. 1 prospect out of the Midwest Region. He played in the Chicago Fire's system and recently was a member of Chicago Fire II in MLS Next Pro where he scored his first goal last September.
- Ryan Belal
  - Following an accolade-filled career at Calvert Hall where he helped lead the school to two MIAA championships and a 24-0-1 mark during the 2022 season, Belal most recently played for FC Cincinnati 2 in MLS Next Pro.
- Jojo Davila
  - Davila played for Bloomingdale Senior High Schools where he earned numerous accolades including: being the 2020-21 Freshman MVP, 2023-24 Offensive MVP, 2024 High School State semifinalist Class 6A, 2024 High School District Champion Class 6A, 2024 High School Regional Champion Class 6A, 2024 High School Western Conference Champion Class 6A and was a 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year nominee.
- Joel Torbic
  - The No. 11-rated recruit out of the Rocky Mountains & Southwest Region, Torbic has spent recent seasons with the Barca Residency Academy. Additionally, he ranks as the No. 36-overall midfielder in the Class of 2024.
- Mason Sullivan
  - During his prep career, Sullivan earned numerous honors including being named NEPSAC Freshman of the Year, an All-NESPAC selection and an All-ISL selection. He played for the Boston Bolts and was with New England Revolution II in MLS Next Pro.
- Will Jackson
  - Capping off an incredible high school career with Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year honors, Jackson attended Homewood where he was a two-time first-team All-Metro selection, two-time first-team 6A All-State selection and was the 2024 Kiwanis Club Boys Player of the Year.
- Owen Barnett
  - Barnett came through Atlanta United's Academy system and recently graduated from Clarke Central High School where he was named a 5A District All-Star.
- Amoni Thomas
  - Thomas spent time with the Vancouver Whitecaps' Academy system, where he earned the program's U17 and U19 Player of the Year honor. Thomas was also named League 1 British Columbia's 2024 Young Player of the Year.

Fan Information
Parking is encouraged in lots A, B, Q, W1 & W2. A complete parking map of campus is here.

Gates open one hour prior to kickoff for all home matches.

Wake Forest Athletics is committed to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina within a safe and fan-friendly environment. The first 300 fans in attendance for Thursday night's match will receive 300 thundersticks at the women's game and an exclusive Wake Forest soccer shirt at the men's game.

Accessibility Information
Wake Forest Athletics strives to provide content at games, social media and on GoDeacs.com that is accessible to all people. In the continued effort to improve accessibility of the technology and digital content at tomorrow's game, fans can access closed captions here for the public address announcer and in-venue content.