No. 10 Demon Deacons Set For First Road Test in Starkville

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Following a third consecutive shutout victory against the Villanova Wildcats, the No. 10 Wake Forest women's soccer team is set for its first road game of the season against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Aug. 24 in Starkville, Miss.

The contest is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on SECN with live stats available here.

Need to Know - Game 4
Wake Forest (3-0) vs. Mississippi State (1-0)
Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 - 7:30 PM ET - SECN
Starkville, Miss. – MSU Soccer Stadium

Last Time Out

Wake Forest improved to 3-0-0 with a 2-0 victory over the Villanova Wildcats.
Redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral was tested early, as the 'Cats recorded the first two shots of the contest.
Despite the Wildcats' early score attempts, Wake Forest struck first. Redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe netted her first goal of the season off a diagonal pass from freshman Kylie Maxwell.
- Senior Brooke Miller recorded her first points with Wake Forest with a secondary assist on Sythe's strike.
Amaral came up big in the 29th minute and registered the second save of the contest to hold the lead.
Wake Forest entered the break leading 1-0.
Just a minute and a half into the second half, Maxwell fought her way through the Villanova defense and buried the ball deep to extend the Deacs' lead.
- In just three games with the Old Gold and Black, Maxwell has recorded two goals, two assists and six total points.
Senior Taryn Chance created another scoring opportunity for Wake Forest as she set up freshman Alejandra Gomez for a header, but was unable to find the back of the net.
The 'Cats tested Amaral once again at the 72nd minute, but the Oviedo, Fla. native remained unrattled between the posts.
After earning ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors during the opening week of the season, Amaral faced eight shots and made two saves to record her third clean sheet of the year and tenth of her career. This marks the most consecutive shutouts to start a season dating back to 2021.
Villanova continued to apply pressure in the final minutes with back-to-back corners, but Wake Forest held on to secure the 2-0 result.

Quick Hitters

Wake Forest is the only team in the ACC through three games that has yet to concede a goal.
On Tuesday, the ACC announced Amaral as the co-defensive player of the week for her efforts during Thursday and Sunday's matches.
- The Oviedo, Fla. native was one of 10 goalkeepers in the country to post back-to-back shutouts to open the season.
The Demon Deacons currently rank 10th on the United Soccer Coaches Poll and 17th on TopDrawerSoccer.
Since 2021, the Demon Deacons are 4-0-1 in regular-season games against SEC opponents.

Scouting the Bulldogs

Mississippi State enters the 2025 season under new head coach, Nick Zimmerman who spent the previous three years as the Bulldogs' associate head coach and has been on staff since Jan. 23, 2019.
- In 2024, Zimmerman helped lead the squad to a 19-3 overall record and an undefeated conference slate, securing the 2024 SEC Regular Season Championship.
Last season, Mississippi State earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but fell in the Round of 16.
The Bulldogs opened the 2025 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Jacksonville State.
Notable players to watch include captain Ally Perry, who was recently tabbed to the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch List and senior Aitana Martinez-Montoya.
- In 2024, Perry led the Bulldogs with ten goals, 24 points, and five game-winning goals. A First-Team All-SEC selection, she recorded at least one point in 50 percent of State's matches.
- A native of Madrid, Spain, senior Martinez-Montoya was also a key contributor to the Bulldog offense this past season as she totaled seven goals, 15 points, and five assists in her 22 appearances.
In net for State is sophomore Sarah Wommack, who made her debut with the squad this past Thursday after spending the past two years at Appalachian State. As a redshirt freshman, Wommack started in all 19 appearances and finished the year with a 1.53 goals against average and 64 saves for the Mountaineers.

Series History vs. Mississippi State

The Demon Deacons and Bulldogs met for the first time this past season on Aug. 25, 2024.
- This marks the first road clash in Starkville for the Deacs.
Wake Forest took a 2-1 victory with goals from Abbie Colton and Nikayala Small.
- Colton's score marked the fastest goal for the Demon Deacons since 2006 and ninth-fastest in program history.

Up Next
Wake Forest returns to Spry Stadium for another doubleheader night to face the USF Bulls on Aug. 28, 2025 at 8pm following the men's game. The contest will be streamed on ACCNX with live stats here.

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No. 10 Demon Deacons Set For First Road Test in Starkville

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Taryn Chance

Abbie Colton

Alejandra Gomez

Kylie Maxwell

Brooke Miller

Sierra Sythe

Wake Forest Athletics

No. 10 Demon Deacons Set For First Road Test in Starkville

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Taryn Chance

Abbie Colton

Alejandra Gomez

Kylie Maxwell

Brooke Miller

Sierra Sythe

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