No. 13 Wake Forest Returns to Spry to Host Louisville

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Returning to its home pitch for the first time since Sept. 18, the No. 13-ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team (9-2-2, 3-1-1 ACC) seeks to continue its winning ways at home as it hosts the Louisville Cardinals (10-3-0, 3-2-0 ACC) this Thursday, Oct. 9 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 14
No. 13 Wake Forest (9-2-2, 3-1-1 ACC) vs. Louisville (10-3-0, 3-2-0 ACC)
Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025 - 7 PM - ACCNX
Winston-Salem, N.C. – Spry Stadium

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.

Early arriving students to the match can receive a free black rope hat, while supplies last.

Ticket Information
2025 Wake Forest soccer season and single game tickets are on-sale now giving fans the opportunity to witness The Best Fan Experience In North Carolina from a number of unique seating options!

Adult season tickets start as low as $70 for general admission and $50 for youth while reserved chairbacks are $130 for fans and $110 for Wake Forest University faculty and staff.

Fans can catch all of Demon Deacon home action this fall as well by purchasing combo season tickets to see both men's and women's soccer starting as low as $90 for general admission and $180 for reserved chairbacks for fans and $150 for Wake Forest University faculty and staff.

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 13th on the United Soccer Coaches Poll and 20th on TopDrawerSoccer.
Wake Forest enters the match 3-1-1 in ACC play and tied fourth in the conference with 10 points.
Through twelve games of the season, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has totaled a team-high eight assists, which ranks second in the conference and is tied fifth nationally.
Between the posts, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral ranks third in the conference in shutouts per game and is among the top-25 in the country with six clean sheets so far this season.
Wake Forest boasts a varied roster of goal contributors with 11 different players and four freshmen supplying the Deacs' offense. Of note, freshmen have accounted for 11 of the Deacs' 25 goals this campaign (44 percent).
The Demon Deacons last defeated the Cards at Spry Stadium on October 22, 2023, where ProDeac Zara Chavosi scored the only goal in the 29th minute for a 1-0 victory.
Thursday's contest will be the ninth meeting between the two head coaches, as Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is in her 26th year with the program.

Last Time Out (vs. NC State)

The No. 12-ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team fell for the first time in ACC play as it dropped a road contest to NC State Thursday night at Dail Soccer Field.
NC State was aggressive in the early stages of the match, scoring the first two goals of the contest in the 9th and 10th minutes.
Just a minute later, freshman Kylie Maxwell responded to the pressure and forced the Wolfpack keeper to make a save.
In the 15th minute, redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral corralled a shot attempt from the Pack to reach her 40th save of the season.
As NC State continued to apply pressure in the zone, junior Dempsey Brown made a key block in the 31st minute to prevent the Pack from another scoring opportunity.
Amaral jumped high to grab her second save of the night in the 36th minute.
The Demon Deacons got one back two minutes before the break as Dawkins played a perfect looping cross into the box, which found Ramirez who headed it home for her first-career goal.
- It marked the first-career points for both Texas natives.
- Ramirez is the 11th different Demon Deacon to score this season and the fourth freshman.
Wake Forest had a chance to equalize seconds before half as Chance picked it off a Wolfpack player and won a free kick from just outside the box.
- Sythe played a beautiful ball in front of goal but the Deacs were unable to get a touch.
The Deacs trailed 2-1 going into the locker room.
- The shots were even at four apiece after the first 45.
Sythe had another free kick opportunity from an almost identical spot as the one before the break, but sent it into the wall before a rebounded effort from Dawkins sailed over the bar.
The Wolfpack had their first chance of the second half in the 49th minute as Amaral easily corralled an attempt while diving to her left.
Wake Forest pushed back against the Pack's offense with a pair of shots on target in the 56th and 57th minutes from Sythe and graduate student Sophie Faircloth.
The Deacs had a fantastic scoring opportunity in the 70th minute off a corner as Maxwell directed a header high, but the Wolfpack keeper pushed the chance out.
Brown struck the crossbar with five minutes to go as Wake Forest continued to put pressure on the Wolfpack.
Wake Forest was unable to find an equalizer and lost, 2-1.
Redshirt-sophomore Valentina Amaral reached 40 season saves.
- With five saves on the night, it marked her third match of the season with five-or-more stops and fifth for her career.

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 three times this season, the most recent against NC State. 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 13 appearances, and gone the full 90 in six of them, totaling 1037 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, ranks second in the conference and is tied fifth nationally.

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 44 saves and six clean sheets so far in the 2025 campaign, and reached her 20th career win in the 2-1 win against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Amaral ranks third in the conference with her six shutouts and is among the top-25 nationally.

Sophomore Standout

Despite not making an appearance on the pitch as a freshman, sophomore midfielder Lola Ressler has made her way into the lineup every game this season and has made significant contributions in all. A versatile player, Ressler has started nine of 13 appearances, playing both in the midfield and front line for the Demon Deacons. The Winter Garden-Fla.-native scored a career-high two goals in the Deacs' first conference win of the season over Miami, and notched the game-winning goal in the 1-0 victory over the LSU Tigers during non-conference play.

Scouting the Cards

The winningest coach in program history, Head Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes enters her 26th year at the helm of the Cardinals with a 211-201-51 overall record.
Louisville enters Thursday's match with a 10-3 mark and a 1-3-0 record on the road.
- The Cards are 3-2 in ACC play, with their two losses against ranked opponents No. 6 Florida State and No. 2 Notre Dame.
- So far, the Cardinals are 0-3 against ranked opponents, with all three games occurring on the road.
With 42 goals scored and just nine goals allowed this season, the squad ranks second in the NCAA with a +33 goal differential and fourth nationally in scoring offense.
Headlining Louisville's offense is sophomore Amelia Swinarski, who leads the NCAA with nine assists on the season. Additionally, she is fourth in program history for most assists in a single season.
- Swinarski also tops the team with 23 points, seven goals and recorded her first career hat-trick in an 8-0 victory over Kent State.
A transfer addition for the Cards, junior Liza Suydam follows Swinarski close behind on the scoresheet with five goals, seven assists and 17 points so far this season.
Senior goalkeeper Erynn Floyd has started all 13 appearances this season, totaled 27 saves, and seven shutouts.
- Floyd anchors a backline that has allowed just nine goals this season.
Also a key factor defensively is defender Lizzie Sexton, who has logged over 1000 minutes on Louisville's backline and started all 13 appearances.
The Cardinals are currently tied sixth in the ACC with nine points with both conference losses against ranked opponents.

Series History vs. Louisville

The Demon Deacons are 4-3-1 against the Cardinals with a 4-1-0 mark at home. The two programs met for the first time in Winston-Salem on Oct. 29, 1999, where Wake Forest defeated the Cards 5-0.
Wake Forest's last victory over Louisville at Spry Stadium was on Oct. 22, 2023, resulting in a 1-0 shutout.
- The lone strike was scored by ProDeac Zara Chavosi in the 29th minute.

Up Next
Wake Forest will prepare for its second-to-last road contest on Oct. 16 against the Clemson Tigers at Historic Riggs Field. The contest will be streamed nationally on ACCN with kickoff at 7 pm.

No. 13 Wake Forest Returns to Spry to Host Louisville

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Dempsey Brown

Laine DeNatale

Sophie Faircloth

Kylie Maxwell

Lola Ressler

Sierra Sythe

Wake Forest Athletics

No. 13 Wake Forest Returns to Spry to Host Louisville

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Dempsey Brown

Laine DeNatale

Sophie Faircloth

Kylie Maxwell

Lola Ressler

Sierra Sythe

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