Wake Forest to Host Pitt for Annual Pink Match

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's soccer team (9-3-3, 3-2-2 ACC) seeks to continue its perfect mark at home as it hosts the Pitt Panthers (5-8-2, 1-6-0 ACC) this Thursday, Oct. 23 at Spry Stadium.

The contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX with live stats available here.

Need to Know - Game 16
Wake Forest (9-3-3, 3-2-2 ACC) vs. Pitt (5-8-2, 1-6-0 ACC)
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025 - 7 PM - ACCNX
Winston-Salem, N.C. – Spry Stadium

Pink Match
The team will be wearing pink jerseys to show support to all who have battled and are affected by breast cancer. Game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off with proceeds going to breast cancer awareness.

Bidding is open until midnight tonight.

Important Fan Information
The safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans is Wake Forest University's top priority. In coordination with University leadership and law enforcement partners, Wake Forest Athletics has implemented enhanced safety measures for events in Kentner and Spry Stadiums and Varsity Arena to match those at our Allegacy Stadium district venues. These include:

Walkthrough metal detection at all fan entry points.
Elevated law enforcement and gameday staff presence at each venue.
Adjusted entry procedures at Spry Stadium, including a secured perimeter along Polo Road and a designated single entry point for fans wishing to watch from the Hill.

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.

Early arriving students can get their own Wake Forest soccer scarf, while supplies last.

Prior to kickoff, a short ceremony will be held to honor seniors Hannah Johnson, Brooke Miller and Alex Wood.

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.

Wake Forest Athletics is always open to learning about new ideas and ways we can improve. Please report accessibility challenges, identify content you find inaccessible, or give us general feedback at pantagw@wfu.edu.

Quick Hitters

The Demon Deacons currently rank 25th on the NCAA RPI.
Wake Forest enters the match 3-2-2 in ACC play and has yet to drop a contest at home, both in non-con and conference play.
Four Deacs were tabbed to the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 Rankings, on both the freshmen and national rankings.
- Top 100 Freshmen: No. 1 - Kylie Maxwell (Fr., Fwd.), No. 19 - Allie Flanagan (Fr. Fwd.)
- Top 100 National: No. 40 - Sierra Sythe (R-So., Def.), No. 95 - Valentina Amaral (R-So., GK)
Through 14 games of the season, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has totaled a team-high eight assists, which ranks fourth in the conference and is in the top-25 nationally.
Between the posts, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral ranks fifth in the conference in shutouts per game.
Wake Forest boasts a varied roster of goal contributors with 12 different players and four freshmen supplying the Deacs' offense. Of note, freshmen have accounted for 12 of the Deacs' 26 goals this campaign (46 percent).
Wake Forest's last victory over the Panthers at Spry Stadium was on Nov. 1, 2020, resulting in a 1-0 shutout.
Thursday's contest marks the first meeting between the two head coaches, as Pitt head coach Ben Waldrum is in his first year as head coach for the Panthers.
- Waldrum is in his eighth season with the program, having spent his previous years as associate head coach.

Last Time Out (at Clemson)

The No. 17-ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team (9-3-3, 3-2-2 ACC) fell to the Clemson Tigers (6-4-5, 3-3-2 ACC) Thursday night at Historic Riggs Field.
Clemson came out of the match on the front foot and applied early pressure to the Deacs' backline.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral grabbed her first save of the night in the 17th minute to keep the match scoreless.
In the 28th minute, Amaral made a stellar save and pushed the Tigers' opportunity high to keep the match even.
The Demon Deacons entered the locker room tied 0-0 and outshot Clemson 4-2 through the first 45 minutes.
With less than a minute into the second half, freshman Kylie Maxwell fired her first shot of the night, but the Clemson keeper was quick to make the save.
The Tigers responded quickly with a shot of their own in the 48th minute, which Amaral easily deflected.
Junior Sammi Wiemann saw a shot opportunity off a corner in the 57th minute, but was off target.
Senior Brooke Miller fired off a ball in the 66th minute but sent it wide of the net.
Clemson broke through in the 72nd minute to lead the match 1-0.
Miller recorded one final shot on goal in the 89th minute.
The Demon Deacons ultimately fell to the Tigers on the road, 1-0.
Amaral and Sythe each reached a career-long streak of 30 games started, the second-highest among active Demon Deacons.

To the Maxx

In just her first year with the Demon Deacons, freshman forward Kylie Maxwell has already shown veteran skill. The Langhorne, Pa.-native has totaled five goals, five assists, and a team high 15 points. With her assists during the 3-2 victory over the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils, the rookie is tied fifth in program history in single-season assists for a freshman. Additionally, Maxwell has started all 13 contests this season and has gone the full 90 minutes four times this season, the most recent at Clemson. Her five strikes and 15 points lead the Demon Deacons and sits second behind Sythe in assists.

Defense on Lock

After seeing little action in the 2024 season, senior defender Laine DeNatale has been a standout feature on the Deacons' backline. So far this season, the Locust Valley, N.Y.-native has made starts in all 15 appearances, and gone the full 90 in eight of them, totaling 1217 minutes. On her opposing shoulder, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has also been a key factor in Wake Forest's defense. Beyond her defensive presence, Sythe has totaled eight assists on the season, of which she leads the team, is tied third in the conference and seventh nationally.

Full Force Flanagan

With five goals and 10 points to her name, freshman forward Allie Flanagan has settled her way into being a key member of the Wake Forest frontline. Recently named No. 19 on the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Freshmen, Flanagan has started 11 of her 13 appearances after an early-season setback. The Round Hill, Va.-native scored her first career goal in her second game as a Demon Deacon, and notched strikes in back-to-back victories against ACC opponent Miami and USC Upstate.

Nothin' in Net

Tabbed to the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Goalkeepers to Watch List, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral has once again shown unbelievable skill in net for the Deacs. The Oviedo, Fla-native has totaled 51 saves and six clean sheets in the 2025 campaign, and reached her 20th career win in the 2-1 win against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Amaral ranks fifth in the conference with her six shutouts and is fourth in the ACC with a .797 save percentage.

Series History vs. Pitt

The Demon Deacons are 6-2-0 against the Panthers with a perfect 4-0-0 mark at home. The two programs met for the first time in Winston-Salem on Oct. 24, 2013, where Wake Forest defeated Pitt 3-1.
In 2024, the Demon Deacons earned a 2-0 road victory in Pittsburgh with goals from ProDeacs Caiya Hanks and Emily Murphy.
Wake Forest's last victory over the Panthers at Spry Stadium was on Nov. 1, 2020, resulting in a 1-0 shutout.

Scouting the Panthers

The Panthers are led by head coach Ben Waldrum, who was elevated to the position of head coach this past year after the previous head coach and Waldrum's father, Randy, was moved to a technical director position.
- This will be the first meeting between da Luz and Waldrum.
Pitt is 5-8-2 and 1-6-0 in the ACC, with a 3-2-0 record on the road.
- Their first conference victory was a 2-1 win on the road against the Boston College Eagles this past September.
Most recently, the Panthers fell 1-0 at home to the NC State Wolfpack for their fourth consecutive defeat.
Offensively, Pitt averages 1 goal per game with 15 goals on 179 total shots this season.
- Freshman Katie Ellermeyer leads the attack with six goals and one assist for a team-best 13 points.
  - In her rookie season, Ellermeyer has started 13 of her 15 appearances.
- Meanwhile, senior forward Maragret Wilde has tallied three goals and three assists for nine points.
Defensively, the Panthers have conceded 28 goals (1.87 per match). Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Abby Reisz has logged just under 1,000 minutes between the posts and totaled one shutout and 37 saves in the 2025 campaign.

Up Next
The Demon Deacons will complete their home slate against the No. 1-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday, Oct. 26 at Spry Stadium. The contest will be streamed on ACCNX with kickoff at 2 pm.

Wake Forest Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Laine DeNatale

Allie Flanagan

Caiya Hanks

Hannah Johnson

Kylie Maxwell

Brooke Miller

Emily Murphy

Sierra Sythe

Sammi Wiemann

Alex Wood

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