Demon Deacons to Face No. 1 Notre Dame at Home

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's soccer team (10-3-3, 4-2-2 ACC) will close out its home slate this Sunday, Oct. 26 at Spry Stadium as it hosts the No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-0-1, 8-0-0 ACC).

The contest is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX with live stats available here.

Need to Know - Game 17
Wake Forest (10-3-3, 4-2-2 ACC) vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (13-0-1, 8-0-0 ACC)
Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 - 2 PM - ACCNX
Winston-Salem, N.C. – Spry Stadium

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 grab a white Demon Deacons rope hat, while supplies last.

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 23rd on the NCAA RPI.
Wake Forest enters the match 4-2-2 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.)
  - Both freshmen rank second among ACC freshmen with five goals this season.
- Top 100 National: No. 40 - Sierra Sythe (R-So., Def.), No. 95 - Valentina Amaral (R-So., GK)
Through 16 games of the season, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has totaled a team-high nine assists, which ranks second in the conference and sixth 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' 28 goals this campaign (43 percent).
The Demon Deacons' last victory over the Irish came on the road on Oct. 15, 2020, resulting in a 1-0 shutout.
- A victory this Sunday would mark the Deacs' first home win over Notre Dame.

Last Time Out (vs. Pitt)

The Wake Forest women's soccer team (10-3-3, 4-2-2 ACC) remained unbeaten at home after a 2-1 victory over the Pitt Panthers (5-9-2, 1-7-0 ACC) Thursday night at Spry Stadium.
- The Demon Deacons reached double-digit wins for the third-consecutive season.
Wake Forest got off on the front foot in the opening stages of the match, peppering the Pitt keeper with early opportunities.
Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral tipped a Pitt opportunity high to keep the match even.
Senior forward Alex Wood sent the ball wide of the net to record the first on-target attempt of the night in the 13th minute.
- Less than 30 seconds later, freshman forward Kylie Maxwell tagged one of her own.
In the 17th minute, junior defender Dempsey Brown made a lunging save inside the box off a Pitt corner to keep the Panthers scoreless.
Wood netted the opener in the 17th minute to give Wake Forest the 1-0 advantage.
- Freshman forward Allie Flanagan drove up the right side and connected with Wood at the top of the box.
- The goal was Wood's second of the season and 12th of her career.
- Additionally, Flanagan's assist marked the first of her career.
Senior defender Laine DeNatale converted a free kick opportunity in the 25th minute to double Wake Forest's lead.
- The strike marked the first of her career.
- Redshirt-sophomore Sierra Sythe grabbed an assist on the goal, her ninth of the season. With the assist on DeNatale's strike, Sythe brought her season assist total to nine and is sixth in program history for single-season assists.
Wake Forest entered the locker room with a 2-0 lead and maintained 60 percent possession throughout the first half.
The Deacs' defense continued to excel out of the break and held the Panthers to just one shot through the first twenty minutes of the half.
Sythe made a key block in the 68th minute to force a Pitt corner.
The Panthers cut the Demon Deacons' lead in half in the 76th minute.
Amaral came up with a clutch save in the 90th minute to secure the three points.
- The Wake Forest keeper surpassed 100 career saves during the contest.
Junior defender Dempsey Brown went the full 90 for the 10th time this season.

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 16 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 16 appearances, and gone the full 90 in eight of them, totaling 1283 minutes. On her opposing shoulder, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has also been a key factor in Wake Forest's defense. The defender recently reached 1300 minutes in the outfield, the most of any Deac this season. Beyond her defensive presence, Sythe has totaled nine assists on the season, of which she leads the team, is second in the conference and sixth 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 12 of her 14 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 her first career assist during the Deacs' 2-1 victory over the Pitt Panthers.

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 54 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 currently ranks fifth in the conference with six shutouts and reached the 100-career-save milestone this past Thursday.

Series History vs. Notre Dame

The Demon Deacons are 2-10-1 against the Fighting Irish with a 0-4-0 mark at home.
- The two programs met for the first time in South Bend on Sept, 27, 1998, where Wake Forest fell, 0-3.
The Demon Deacons last faced Notre Dame on Sept. 15, 2023, and fell 1-3 on the road.
The Deacs' two victories over the Irish have both come as 1–0 shutouts — the first on September 17, 2017, and the most recent on October 15, 2020.

Scouting the Irish

The Irish are led by head coach Nate, who is in his eighth season in South Bend.
Notre Dame is 13-0-1 and 8-0-0 in the ACC, with a 4-0-1 mark on the road.
- Their lone draw of the season occurred on the road in August, to the No. 6-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.
Most recently, the Fighting Irish defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 5-0 in Blacksburg for their 12th consecutive win.
Offensively, Notre Dame averages 3.64 goals per game with 51 goals on 254 total shots this season.
- The Irish's scoring offense ranks second nationally and first in W-L-T percentage (0.964).
- Sophomore Izzy Engle leads the attack with 16 goals and six assists for a team-best 38 points. The 2024 Mac Hermann Semifinalist ranks first in the ACC on points, shots on goal and goals. Additionally, Engle averages 2.71 points per game, the highest in the nation.
- Meanwhile, sophomore forward Annabelle Chukwu has tallied 11 goals and two assists for 24 points. Additionally, the Ottawa, Canada-native has recorded five game-winning goals this season, the most on the Irish squad.
Defensively, the Panthers have conceded just 13 goals (.93 per match). Sophomore goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica has logged over 1,100 minutes in net and totaled 42 saves in the 2025 campaign.

Up Next
Wake Forest will wrap its 2025 campaign on the road against the No.11-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Thursday, Oct. 30 at Seminole Soccer Complex. The contest will be streamed nationally on ACCN with kickoff at 6 pm.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Dempsey Brown

Laine DeNatale

Allie Flanagan

Kylie Maxwell

Sierra Sythe

Alex Wood

Wake Forest Athletics