Wake Forest Primed for ACC Opener at No. 10 North Carolina

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Coming off of a dominant 5-0 victory in the non-conference finale, the Wake Forest women's soccer team is set for its ACC opener on the road against North Carolina Thursday, Sept. 12 at Dorrance Field.

The match is slated for 7 p.m. and will be shown live on ACC Network Extra with live stats available here.

Need to Know - Game 8
Wake Forest (5-1-1) at North Carolina (7-1-0)
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024 - 7 PM - ACC Network Extra
Chapel Hill, N.C. – Dorrance Field

Quick Hitters

With seniors Emily Colton and Anna Swanson both bagging a pair of goals on Sunday against UNC Asheville, it marked the first time since Oct. 10, 2021 that multiple Demon Deacons recorded a brace in the same game.
The Demon Deacons have now seen nine different goal scorers over the first seven games of the season with 13 separate Deacs recording at least one goal contribution.
Wake Forest finished non-conference play with a 5-1-1 record. Since 2020, the Deacs have compiled a stellar 25-1-4 mark against non-conference foes.
A win would mark the first victory in an ACC opener for the Demon Deacons since 2018.
Emily Colton (2G, 2A), Anna Swanson (3G) and Sierra Sythe (2G, 2A) are all tied for the team lead with six points apiece heading into conference play.
- Five Deacs already have at least five points as Caiya Hanks (1G, 3A) and Hannah Johnson (2G, 1A) round out the top goal contributors so far this season.
This will mark the second ranked opponent for the Deacs so far this season, winning the first 2-1 over No. 20 Mississippi State.
Wake Forest ranks eighth in the nation and third in the conference in shots per game (22.4) over the first seven games of the season.

Last Time Out

Powered by two goals and an assist from senior transfer Emily Colton and another brace from Anna Swanson on her senior day, the Wake Forest women's soccer team downed UNC Asheville, 5-0, Sunday afternoon at the Spry Stadium in the final non-conference match of the season.
The Demon Deacons (5-1-1) took the lead in the 31st minute, as senior Emily Murphy played a ball down the left to junior Caiya Hanks, who drove into the box and laid it off to redshirt freshman Sierra Sythe in front of goal for the finish.
It marked the second goal of the season for Sythe as she brought her points tally to five on the year. Meanwhile, Hanks and Murphy both recorded their second assists of the campaign on the opener.
Three minutes later, Emily Colton intercepted a pass in the attacking third and slipped it through to senior Anna Swanson, who doubled Wake Forest's lead with her fifth-career goal. It marked Colton's second-consecutive game with an assist and 10th of her career.
Colton took over in the second half, notching her first and second goals in a Wake Forest uniform in the 69th and 73rd minutes. The first of which came after a deflected ball fell into her path before an excellent finish made it 3-0. Her second goal was created by Hanks' second assist of the afternoon, as she received the ball and curled it past the keeper's left.
Swanson completed her brace in the 82nd minute after a great effort from sophomore Dempsey Brown deflected off the crossbar and into the path of the senior, who snuck it in and made it 5-0 Wake Forest.
As a team, Wake Forest controlled 63 percent of the ball and out-shot the Bulldogs, 20-to-3 (11-to-2 on-goal). Colton led the way with four shots, all four of which were on-goal.
Defensively, the Deacs recorded their fourth clean sheet of the season and second-consecutive. In goal, Payton Cahill played the first half before redshirt freshman Valentina Amaral came on at halftime and recorded two nice saves, her first since returning for the Demon Deacons.

Scouting the Tar Heels

Following the retirement of one of the most influential coaches in the history of college athletics, North Carolina has gotten off to a 7-1-0 start under interim head coach Damon Nahas, out-scoring opponents 18-to-7 in non-conference play.
The No. 10-ranked Tar Heels enter Thursday's match coming off of a 2-0 victory over Columbia at home.
North Carolina has recorded four clean sheets so far this season and has scored multiple goals in all but one match.
Offensively, the Tar Heels are led by Kate Fassee (5G, 1A) and Bella Sember (4G, 2A) with 11 and 10 total points, respectively.
Graduate transfer Clare Cagne has started and played every minute in goal this season for North Carolina. She has conceded just once over the last five games.

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.

Home Ticket Information
To experience The Best Fan Experience in North Carolina, single game bleacher general admission for non-conference action starts at $5 while reserve chairbacks are $10. For all ACC action, bleacher general admission is $10 with reserve chairbacks at $15.

To order, visit godeacs.com/tickets or call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336.758.3322.

This year, Demon Deacon women's soccer will host 2023 National Champion Florida State, 2023 National Championship runner up Stanford, and Big Four foes Duke and NC State in a loaded home slate.

Up Next
Following the match, the Demon Deacons will make the short trip north as it prepares for another tough ACC clash against No. 2 Virginia on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. The match will be shown live on ACC Network.

Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs

Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest Primed for ACC Opener at No. 10 North Carolina

Related News

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Dempsey Brown

Payton Cahill

Emily Colton

Caiya Hanks

Hannah Johnson

Emily Murphy

Anna Swanson

Sierra Sythe

Related Videos