Wake Forest Set for Regular Season Road Finale at No. 6 Florida State

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's soccer team (10-3-4, 4-2-3 ACC) is set for its regular season finale on the road against No. 6 Florida State (9-2-3, 5-2-2 ACC) this Thursday, Oct. 30 at Seminole Sports Complex.

The contest is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and will be streamed nationally on ACCN with live stats available here.

Need to Know - Game 18
Wake Forest (10-3-4, 4-2-3 ACC) vs. No. 6 Florida State (9-2-3, 5-2-2 ACC)
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 - 6 PM - ACCN
Tallahassee, Fla. - Seminole Sports Complex

Quick Hitters

The Demon Deacons currently rank 21st on the NCAA RPI and are receiving votes on the United Soccer Coaches poll.
Wake Forest enters the match 4-2-3 in ACC play.
- The Deacs' notable results include a 3-2 victory at No. 9 Duke and a 1-1 draw with No. 1 Notre Dame.
Through 17 games of the season, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has totaled a team-high nine assists, which ranks second in the conference and eighth nationally.
Between the posts, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral ranks fourth in the conference with a .792 save percentage and fifth in the conference in shutouts.
- The Oviedo, Fla. - native has helped the Deacs post a .795 team save percentage that ranks fourth in the conference.
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 13 of the Deacs' 29 goals this campaign (45 percent).
Wake Forest last defeated the Seminoles on Oct. 3, 2024, at Spry Stadium.
- The two squads met once again in the 2024 ACC Semifinals, where Wake Forest ultimately fell to Florida State on penalties.
The Demon Deacons are currently seventh in the ACC with 15 points, just two points behind Florida State in sixth for the final spot in the conference tournament.

Last Time Out (vs. Notre Dame)

The Wake Forest women's soccer team (10-3-4, 4-2-3 ACC) snapped a twelve-game win streak and handed the No.1-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish their first dropped ACC points of the season (13-0-2, 8-0-1 ACC) Sunday afternoon at Spry Stadium.
- Wake Forest finished the regular season with an 8-0-3 record at Spry this season.
  - The Deacs have posted a stellar 26-3-9 record at home since the start of 2022, with their lone loss over the past three seasons coming against No. 1 Duke in 2024.
  - This tied the second-longest unbeaten home stretch in program history, set across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
The Demon Deacons jumped out of the gates with immediate offensive pressure on the Fighting Irish.
Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral tagged her first save of the night in the 4th minute.
Freshman Kylie Maxwell set up a beautiful cross to the front of the net, but couldn't find a connection to bury a strike.
In the 16th minute, Maxwell set sophomore midfielder Lola Ressler at the top of the box, but Ressler went wide of the net.
The Irish took the lead in the 19th minute.
Despite the deficit, Wake Forest continued to push back into the Notre Dame end.
The much-deserved equalizer came in the 35th minute, as Ramirez pounced on a rebound following a shot from Wilson and put it into the back of the net.
- The strike marked the second goal of the season for Ramirez.
The Deacs entered the locker room at a 1-1 draw. Through the first 45, Wake Forest maintained 53 percent possession over Notre Dame.
Amaral collected her third save of the night in the 50th minute to keep the match even.
- Just a minute later, the Oviedo, Fla.-native made a leaping jump to grab the Notre Dame attempt.
In the 53rd minute, junior defender Sammi Wiemann made a stellar block in front of the net to clear the zone.
Sophomore forward Chloe Burst had a prime scoring opportunity in the 65th minute to take the lead, but went high off the crossbar.
Despite added pressure from a Notre Dame corner in the 76th minute, senior forward Alex Wood cleared the ball and limited any further scoring attempts.
Freshman Allie Flanagan found a breakaway scoring opportunity in the 87th minute, but the Notre Dame keeper made the stop.
Wake Forest held on to draw 1-1 with the No. 1-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
This marked the first non-defeat against the Fighting Irish at home in program history.
- It is also the second-ever draw between the two schools, with the first coming on Oct. 3, 2013 (1-1, 2OT).

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 17 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 17 appearances, and gone the full 90 in eight of them, totaling 1,358 minutes. On her opposing shoulder, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has also been a key factor in Wake Forest's defense. The defender recently reached 1,300 minutes in the outfield, the most of any Deac this season. Beyond her defensive presence, Sythe has totaled nine assists on the season, which leads the team, ranks second in the conference and eighth nationally.

Full Force Flanagan

With five goals and 11 points to her name, freshman forward Allie Flanagan has settled her way into being a key member of the Wake Forest frontline. Tabbed No. 19 on the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 Freshmen, Flanagan has started 13 of her 15 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 57 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 fourth in the conference with a .792 save percentage and reached the 100-career-save milestone in the Deacs' 2-1 win over Pitt..

Series History vs. Notre Dame

The Demon Deacons are 14-13-6 against the Seminoles with a 3-8-0 record on the road.
- The two programs met for the first time ever on Oct, 30, 1995, where the Deacs defeated the Noles at Spry Stadium, 4-1.
Wake Forest last faced Florida State in the regular season on Oct. 3, 2024, and defeated the Seminoles 4-1.
Last season, Wake Forest defeated Florida State 4-1 at Spry Stadium during the regular season.
- The teams battled once again during the ACC Seminfinals, where the Deacs ultimately fell in penalties.
The Seminole Sports Complex has historically presented a challenge for the Deacs, as they have earned three total road victories in Tallahassee.
- Oct. 12, 2002: 3-2, (2OT)
- Sept. 18, 1998: 3-1
- Oct. 30, 1995: 4-1

Scouting the Noles

The Seminoles are led by head coach Brian Pensky, who is in his fourth season with the program.
Florida State is 9-2-3 and 5-2-2 in the ACC, with a 5-1-1 record at home.
- On Oct. 16, the Noles fell 1-2 to No. 2-ranked Stanford Cardinal, which marked their first home loss of the 2025 campaign.
- The Seminoles' second loss occurred on the road, where they fell 2-4 to the No. 2-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
This past Thursday, the No. 6-ranked squad defeated No. 3 Virginia on the road, 3-2.
Offensively, Florida State averages 2.79goals per game with 39 goals on 256 total shots this season.
- The Seminole's scoring offense ranks second nationally and first in W-L-T percentage (0.964).
- Junior Jordynn Dudley leads the attack with seven goals and 11 assists for a team-best 25 points. The 2024 Mac Hermann Trophy Semifinalist averages 0.79 assists per game, of which she leads the conference and ranks second nationally. Additionally, Dudley leads the conference in total assists and ranks fourth in total goals.
- Meanwhile, sophomore Wrianna Hudson has tallied 11 goals for 22 points. Additionally, she leads the team with three game-winning goals.
Defensively, the Noles have conceded just 12 goals (.86 per match). Sophomore Addie Todd and freshman Kate Ockene have split time between the posts for the Seminoles this season, with Ockene starting the last two contests.

Up Next
The Demon Deacons will turn their attention to postseason play. Should the Deacs win this Thursday and secure a spot in the ACC Tournament, they will begin their quest for a conference title on Nov. 2. With a loss, they will set their sights on the NCAA Tournament selection show on Nov. 10 at 3 p.m.

Wake Forest Set for Regular Season Road Finale at No. 6 Florida State

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Chloe Burst

Laine DeNatale

Allie Flanagan

Kylie Maxwell

Lola Ressler

Sierra Sythe

Sammi Wiemann

Alex Wood

Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest Set for Regular Season Road Finale at No. 6 Florida State

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Chloe Burst

Laine DeNatale

Allie Flanagan

Kylie Maxwell

Lola Ressler

Sierra Sythe

Sammi Wiemann

Alex Wood

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