Demon Deacons Set for Opening Night Match Against the Mustangs

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Following a record-breaking 2024 campaign, the No. 10 ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team is set to open the 2025 regular season in a non-conference matchup against SMU.

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 1
Wake Forest (0-0) vs. SMU (0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 14, 2024 - 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.

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.

Who's Back
The Demon Deacons are returning multiple key players from the 2024-25 season in which the program reached the National Championship match for the first time.

Valentina Amaral, Goalkeeper
- Amaral finished her sophomore season with the best goals-against average in program history at 0.69, beating the long-standing record previously held by women's soccer alum Erin Regan ('02). The 2024 All-ACC Third Team member allowed the fewest number of goals in conference play with seven and recorded five clean sheets, the second-most in ACC play. Throughout Wake Forest's journey to the 2024 College Cup, Amaral logged three clean sheets in the Tournament, including a four-save performance against Stanford in the College Cup semifinals. Additionally, she made six saves in the quarterfinals at USC and held strong in the penalty shootout to see the Deacs through.
Sierra Sythe, Defender
- After missing her entire first season on campus due to injury in 2023, Sythe made an instant impact for the Deacs during her second year with the squad, appearing in all 24 matches with 18 starts. The Long Beach native started the season as a winger before transitioning to right back. She made her collegiate debut in the opener at Army and at the next match scored her first career assist at Rutgers. She notched her first career goal during a 4-0 home victory against Temple. Sythe recorded her first ACC goal in the 3-0 victory at No. 2 Virginia and notched the assist on the winner in the national semifinals against Stanford. Her efforts on the pitch helped the Demon Deacons to one of the best defensive records in the conference and the nation.
Dempsey Brown, Defender
- Also a key contributor to the nationally acclaimed defense, Brown played in all but one of Wake Forest's 24 matches last fall, making 15 total starts during her second season with the Deacons. The 2023 All-ACC Freshman Team selection logged 1,396 minutes, with a career-high 115 against Florida State in the ACC Tournament. Brown recorded assists against Temple and in the NCAA tournament against Morehead State.

Meet The Newcomers
The Demon Deacons welcome 16 new players to the roster for the 2025 campaign, featuring 13 freshmen and three transfers. TopDrawerSoccer has the Demon Deacons with the No. 20-ranked recruiting class.

Freshmen
- Kylie Maxwell (Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals)
  - Named the 2024-25 Gatorade PA Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Maxwell hails from Langhorne, Pa. and attended Neshaminy High School. The three-time varsity letter winner helped lead her high school to undefeated conference championships in the Patriot League, which saw her named Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year and Suburban Patriot Player of the Year. Maxwell spent her club years with Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals and has attended multiple USYNT training camps before coming to Wake Forest.
- Alejandra Gomez (Real Madrid)
  - From Madrid, Spain, Gomez spent the 2023-24 season with Real Madrid and has been a member of the youth club teams since 2020. Prior to her time with the youth teams, she trained with the Ciudad del Fútbol Academy.
- Allie Flanagan (Virginia Development Academy)
  - A forward from Round Hill, Va., Flanagan competed for Virginia Development Academy and attended Woodgrove High School. During her time with the Academy, she earned two All-American nods. Additionally, Flanagan was named 2023 Girls Academy MVP and was a 2023 Girls Academy National Champion. Ahead of the upcoming season, she earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason XI Freshman Team.
- Elliana Ramirez (León)
  - Ramirez competed this past year for León, where she played 13 games and started two. Before her time with León, she spent two years with Pachuca. This past year, the Dallas, Texas-native was called up to compete for the U20 Mexican National Team.
- Zaiba Ishaque (Manchester United)
  - The freshman from Manchester, England, comes to Winston-Salem with international experience, having spent two seasons with the U21 Manchester United club, where she played 21 games and logged 1,413 minutes. Ishaque has also represented her country on a national level as she was a member of the U16 England National team.
- Sonoma Bever (SC Wave)
  - Bever attended Edgewood High School, where she was part of the 2025 Conference championship-winning team. During her senior year, she was tabbed with 2025 Conference Player of the Year, as well as earned First-Team All-Conference and All-Region honors all four years of her high school career. Bever played forward for SC Wave, one of the top clubs in the Girls Academy, and participated in the USYNT ID Camp in 2022.
- Rachael Wright (Nationals SC)
  - From Grand Rapids, Mich. the freshman defender achieved All-Conference, All-District, All-Region and first-team All-State honors in her high school career. Also during her time at Coopersville High School, she competed on the varsity level for track and basketball. Wright competed for Nationals SC, a member of the ECNL Girls league.
- Lizzie Thornton (Northern Virginia Alliance)
  - The lone goalkeeper of the freshman class, Thornton attended Loudoun Valley High School, where she was named two times to the All-Region First Team for varsity soccer and basketball. She competed alongside fellow freshman Jordan Turner with the Northern Virginia Alliance, and was an academy player for DC Power in the USL Super League. In 2024, Turner was selected for 2024 ECNL Conference Cup and earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer's best XI at ECNL Playoffs and first team all-Mid Atlantic ECNL.
- Sydney Schuler (San Diego Surf FC)
  - Schuler attended JSerra Catholic High School and earned Trinity League First Team, Offensive MVP and Orange County Register All Second Team during both her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, she was named varsity captain of her squad. The midfielder from Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif. competed for San Diego Surf during her club years.
- Alicia Meincke (VA Union FC)
  - Meincke attended Riverside High School, where she saw varsity letters during all four years of her high school career and earned first team All-Region and All District while with the Rams. A native of Ashburn, Va., she competed for the VA Union and played on the 2022 GA National Championship winning team.
- Aislynn Maguire (NC Fusion)
  - Adding another local talent to the squad, Maguire attended West Forsyth High School where she spent all four years on varsity and earned All-Conference, All-Region, and All-State honors each year. While at West Forsyth, the forward was conference champion with the Titans every year of her high school career. Maguire competed for NC Fusion and in 2022 earned a US National ID Camp call-up.
- Tahlia Zadeyan (DCMV Sharks)
  - Zadeyan brings a diverse skill set to Spry Stadium, as she competed as a three-sport athlete while attending La Jolla High School and played club soccer with the DCMV Sharks. In 2022, the San Diego, Calif. - native played for the Armenian U-17 National Team and competed internationally in UEFA qualifying matches in Luxembourg.
- Jordan Turner (Northern Virginia Alliance)
  - The freshman defender was named No. 29 on TopDrawerSoccer's Mid Atlantic Region Class of 2025, as well as earned a spot on Prep Soccer's National Top 100 Class of 2025. She attended Independence High School, where she helped the program to their first-ever state championship in 2023 and received All-Region and All-State First Team Defender accolades as a sophomore. Turner competed for the newly formed Northern Virginia Alliance with fellow Deacon Lizzie Thornton this past year and was a Member of NOVA FC USL-W in 2025.
Transfers
- Brooke Miller, Portland
  - A senior from San Diego, Calif., the transfer forward started 15 of 20 games played as a junior and logged 1,165 minutes with the Pilots. Also during her junior year, the 2023 CSC Academic All-District recorded 17 shots on goal and five goals during the season. As a sophomore, Miller played in all 17 games for the Pilots with six starts and recorded one goal.
- Addison Roberts, Oklahoma State
  - Originally from Edmond, Okla., Roberts played in 19 games with four starts as a freshman at Oklahoma State and made her first-career start at TCU. During her sophomore season with the Cowboys, the defender played in 11 total games, tallying 293 minutes played and a season-high 58 against Texas A&M-Commerce.
- Victoria Coninck, George Mason
  - A goalkeeper from San Ramon, Calif, the graduate student played in 11 games during her junior year, starting in 10 of them, and totaled 927 minutes, including a season-high of 12 saves at Saint Joseph's. As a freshman, Coninck played in four games and started in two, totaling 172 minutes. She recorded 10 saves with a save percentage of .769 and finished the year with a 1.57 GAA.

Quick Hitters

The Demon Deacons currently rank 10th on the United Soccer Coaches Poll and 18th on TopDrawerSoccer.
Wake Forest wrapped the 2024 year with a 16-4-1 record, highlighted by a 9-1-1 home record at Spry Stadium.
- Since the 2021 season, the Deacs are 14-0-2 at home against non-conference opponents in the regular season.

Scouting The Mustangs

The Mustangs completed the 2024 season 6-9-2 overall and 2-6-2 during their first season in the ACC. Despite a challenging season, they posted a winning home record of 6-5-1.
In her third season at the helm, Nicole Nelson wrapped the year 27-19-8 overall at SMU.
- During the 2024 season, the team scored 32 goals, the most under Nelson since 19, and recorded four shutouts.
SMU returned 50 percent of its total goal production from the previous year.
Notable returners include sophomore Liz Eddy, who led the Mustangs with five assists, 13 points, and 17 SOG. Eddy started 14 of the total 17 games during the 2024 season. Also to note is junior Nyah Rose, who led the team with five goals in 11 games played. Senior defender Hali Hartman led the team with a career-high 1,438 minutes in her first season with the Mustangs.
This offseason, the program added nine newcomers, including four transfers.

Series History vs. SMU

Wake Forest holds a 1-0-0 record against SMU. In their first-ever meeting with the Mustangs, the Demon Deacons notched a 2-1 road victory in Dallas last season.
- It marks just the second game inside Texas in program history and just the fourth time the Deacs have taken on a Texas school. In 2008, Wake Forest dropped a 2-1 match to Texas A&M in Blacksburg. Five years later, the Deacs hosted North Texas and picked up a 2-1 overtime victory.

Up Next
Following Thursday's opening night slate, the Demon Deacons will return to Spry Stadium to face the LSU Tigers in an ACC/SEC matchup on Sunday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ACCN with live stats available here.

Follow The Deacs
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | #GoDeacs

Demon Deacons Set for Opening Night Match Against the Mustangs

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Sonoma Bever

Dempsey Brown

Victoria Coninck

Allie Flanagan

Alejandra Gomez

Zaiba Ishaque

Aislynn Maguire

Kylie Maxwell

Alicia Meincke

Brooke Miller

Elliana Ramirez

Addison Roberts

Sydney Schuler

Sierra Sythe

Lizzie Thornton

Jordan Turner

Rachael Wright

Tahlia Zadeyan

Wake Forest Athletics

Demon Deacons Set for Opening Night Match Against the Mustangs

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Sonoma Bever

Dempsey Brown

Victoria Coninck

Allie Flanagan

Alejandra Gomez

Zaiba Ishaque

Aislynn Maguire

Kylie Maxwell

Alicia Meincke

Brooke Miller

Elliana Ramirez

Addison Roberts

Sydney Schuler

Sierra Sythe

Lizzie Thornton

Jordan Turner

Rachael Wright

Tahlia Zadeyan

Related Videos