Wake Forest to Open 2025 NCAA Tournament Against South Carolina

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Making its 23rd tournament appearance under head coach Tony da Luz, the No. 7-seeded Wake Forest women's soccer team will host the South Carolina Gamecocks in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 14 at Spry Stadium.

The match is slated for 6:00 p.m. and will be shown live on ESPN+.

NCAA Tournament - First Round
South Carolina (10-4-5) at (7) Wake Forest (10-4-4)
Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 - 6:00 PM - ESPN+
Winston-Salem, N.C. – Spry Stadium

Tickets are available for purchase now starting at $5 for the hill, $10 for general admission and $15 for chairback. Additionally, youth tickets are available for $5.

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.

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.

Deacs in the NCAA Tournament

Wake Forest will be making its 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, with the last 23 coming under the helm of Tony da Luz.
- The Demon Deacons have made four of the last five tournaments, highlighted by a national finalist runner-up finish in the 2024 College Cup.
  - Eight current Demon Deacons made appearances during last year's postseason run.
Prior to its incredible 2024 tourney run, the Deacs' best-ever finish came in 2011 when they made the first College Cup in program history, led by Katie Stengel on the frontline and Aubrey Bledsoe in goal.
Wake Forest holds an overall record of 26-22-2 in the NCAA Tournament, including a 17-2-1 mark in Winston-Salem.
- The Deacs have advanced to the round of 32 on 16 occasions, with the most recent coming in 2024.

Quick Hitters

The Demon Deacons currently rank 28th on the NCAA RPI and are receiving votes on the United Soccer Coaches poll.
Wake Forest enters the postseason with a 10-4-4 regular-season record and an unbeaten 8-0-3 mark at home.
- The Deacs' notable results include a 3-2 victory at No. 9 Duke and a 1-1 draw with No. 1 Notre Dame.
Three Demon Deacons earned All-ACC honors, highlighted by the All-ACC Freshman of the Year selection for Kylie Maxwell.
- Maxwell also earned a spot on the Third Team and Freshman Team, joined by redshirt-sophomore Valentina Amaral on the third team and freshman Allie Flanagan on the freshman team.
Through 18 games of the season, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has totaled a team-high nine assists, which ranks fifth in the conference and top-25 nationally.
Between the posts, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral ranks fifth in the conference both with a .784 save percentage and 69 total saves.
- The Oviedo, Fla., native has helped the Deacs post a .787 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' 30 goals this campaign (43 percent).
Wake Forest last defeated the Gamecocks 3-2, on Aug. 24, 2017, at Spry Stadium.

Last Time Out (vs. Florida State)

The Wake Forest women's soccer team concluded its regular season campaign on the road against No. 6 Florida State with a 4-1 defeat Thursday night at Seminole Soccer Complex.
The Seminoles pressed hard into the Demon Deacons' backline in the opening stages of the match.
Florida State took the lead in the 10th minute off a free kick.
Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Amaral made a diving save and Sythe followed that up with a block as the Deacs kept the Noles out of the net.
The Noles doubled their lead in the 21st minute off a penalty kick.
Freshman defender Tahlia Zadeyan got the Deacs' first on-target attempt of the night in the 22nd minute.
Florida State threw an attempt towards Amaral in the 28th minute, but the Oviedo, Fla.-native collected it with ease.
- This marked her 60th save of the season.
Amaral closed out the half with another save in the 43rd minute,
The Deacs entered the locker room at a 0-2 deficit, with possession almost split at 48 for the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest jumped out of the half with pressure in the Seminoles' zone.
Florida State fired back-to-back corners, but the Wake Forest backline cleared any Seminole attempts.
The Seminoles took a 3-0 lead in the 54th minute.
Two minutes later, redshirt-sophomore Sierra Sythe fired back to put the Deacs on the board.
- The strike marked Sythe's third of the season and sixth of her career.
- Senior Brooke Miller recorded her fifth career assist on the goal.
Despite two impressive save attempts from Amaral, the Noles extended their lead to 4-1 in the 62nd minute.
Wake Forest fell on the road 1-4 to the No. 6-ranked Florida State Seminoles.

To the Maxx

In just her first year with the Demon Deacons, freshman forward Kylie Maxwell has already shown veteran skill. The 2025 All-ACC Freshman of the Year has totaled five goals, five assists, and a team high 15 points in her first year. 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, the Langhorne, Pa.-native has started all but one contest this season and has gone the full 90 minutes four times this season, most recently at Clemson. Maxwell leads the Deacs with her 15 points, is tied with fellow freshman Allie Flanagan in strikes 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 18 appearances, and gone the full 90 in eight of them, totaling 1,1425 minutes. On her opposing shoulder, redshirt-sophomore Sierra Sythe has also been a key factor in Wake Forest's defense. The defender recently reached 1,600 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 fifth in the conference and is fourth among Wake Forest program history for single-season assists.

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 14 of her 16 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. With her efforts on the Wake Forest frontline, Flanagan was named to the 2025 All-ACC Freshman Team.

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 69 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 a .784 save percentage and reached the 100-career-save milestone in the Deacs' 2-1 win over Pitt.

Series History vs. South Carolina

The Demon Deacons are 4-3-1 overall against the Gamecocks with a 2-1-0 record at Spry.
- The two programs met for the first time on Sept. 4, 1998, and ultimately drew 1-1 after double overtime.
The Demon Deacons are 1-1-0 against the Gamecocks in the NCAA Tournament.
- Wake Forest last faced South Carolina in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and fell on the road, 0-2.

Scouting the Gamecocks

The Gamecocks are led by head coach Shelley Smith, who ranks 14th all-time for active D1 coaches with 368 career wins.
South Carolina wrapped the regular season 10-4-5 with a 6-1-1 record against non-conference foes.
- The Gamecocks totaled 10 shutouts in the regular season.
- Notable results for the squad include a 1-0 victory over No. 25 Ohio State and a 2-2 draw with No. 7 Arkansas.
On Sunday, Nov. 2, the No. 22-ranked Gamecocks fell in the first round of the SEC Tournament, 0-2 to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Offensively, South Carolina averages 1.58 goals per game with 30 goals on 236 total shots this season.
- Sophomore Katie Shea Collins leads the attack with 10 goals, four assists and a team-high 24 points. The All-SEC First Team forward has tallied six game-winning goals, and added a hat trick to her career in a 4-0 victory over Ole Miss.
Defensively, the Gamecocks have conceded just 13 goals (.684 per match), which ranks third in conference and 26th nationally.
- Headlining the South Carolina backline is 2025 SEC Defender of the Year, Gracie Falla. The senior forward has recorded over 1,600 minutes in the outfield, the most of any Gamecock.
Between the posts for South Carolina is senior Christina Tsaousis. The Tarpon, Springs, Fla.-native enters the tournament with a 0.738 goals against average, tallying seven shutouts and nine wins in 19 appearances.

Up Next
The winner of the match will take on the winner of No. 2-seed Michigan State and Milwaukee on Thursday, Nov. 20.

Wake Forest to Open 2025 NCAA Tournament Against South Carolina

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Laine DeNatale

Allie Flanagan

Kylie Maxwell

Brooke Miller

Sierra Sythe

Tahlia Zadeyan

Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest to Open 2025 NCAA Tournament Against South Carolina

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Laine DeNatale

Allie Flanagan

Kylie Maxwell

Brooke Miller

Sierra Sythe

Tahlia Zadeyan

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