No. 18 Wake Forest Cruises to Victory in ACC Opener

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Highlighted by a career-first multi-goal game from sophomore Lola Ressler, the No. 18 Wake Forest women's soccer team (6-1-1, 1-0-0 ACC) earned its first ACC victory of the season, defeating the Miami Hurricanes (5-2-1, 0-1-0 ACC) on Wednesday night at Spry Stadium, 3-1.

Just two minutes into the match, Ressler put the Deacs on the board with a feed from redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe. The strike marked the fourth-fastest goal in program history.

The Demon Deacons doubled the lead shortly after, as freshman Kylie Maxwell sent the ball across the box, finding Ressler for her second strike of the night. With three minutes and 45 seconds between goals, it marked the second-quickest brace in program history.

The Deacs extended their lead in the 67th minute, as freshman Allie Flanagan scored her third goal of the season. Seniors Brooke Miller and Hannah Johnson both recorded assists on the goals, with Johnson logging her first assist of the season.

This is the first ACC opener win for the Deacs since defeating NC State in 2018. Wake Forest also improved their record against Miami to 16-3-0 overall, including a perfect 12-0-0 home record against the Canes.

In goal, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral faced a career-high 23 shots and recorded two saves against the Hurricanes. The Oviedo, Fla., native has been superb in goal for Wake Forest as she's logged 26 saves on the season while also maintaining a 0.867 save percentage, which ranks among the top-10 in the ACC.

How It Happened

The Demon Deacons struck early, with two goals in five minutes – both from sophomore Lola Ressler.
- Ressler notched the first goal just under two minutes into the match, with an assist from redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe.
  - The early strike is the fourth-fastest goal scored in program history.
- Her second goal came at the 5th minute mark, with freshman Kylie Maxwell and senior Brooke Miller recording assists on the strike.
  - Her second strike came just three minutes and 45 seconds later, which marks the second-quickest brace in program history.
Freshman Kylie Maxwell had a breakaway opportunity in the 18th to extend the Demon Deacons' lead, but sent the shot wide.
In the 32nd minute, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral grabbed her first save of the match to keep Miami scoreless.
Through the first half, Wake Forest maintained 59 percent possession and outshot the Hurricanes 9-7.
The Canes pressured the Deacs in the early stages of the second half with a shot in the 52nd minute, but Amaral was there to make the save.
Miami found the back of the net in the 63rd minute; however, the goal was ruled offside.
Freshman Allie Flanagan extended the Deacons' lead in the 67th minute.
- Miller set the ball opposite the field for Flanagan to tap the strike in.
The Hurricanes found an answer in the 73rd minute; however, Wake Forest held a two-goal lead over the Canes.
Despite pressure from the Hurricanes, the Demon Deacons held onto the 3-1 win.

Demon Deacon Details of Note

Junior Dempsey Brown made her return to the lineup for the first time since Mississippi State.
Freshman Tahlia Zadeyan made her first career start.
Sophomore Lola Ressler made their fifth career start.
- Ressler also recorded her first multi-goal game of her career.
Senior Hannah Johnson made her 15th career start.
- Johnson also recorded her first assist of the season.
Senior Carly Wilson made her 50th career appearance.
Senior Laine DeNatale made her 20th career appearance.

From Coach da Luz
"We had the ideal ACC game start with two early goals and lots of positive play. Lola Ressler continues to show up in the right spots with two sharp finishes. As well, Tahlia Zadeyan and Laine DeNatale were excellent at center back. The return of Dempsey Brown and Sophie Faircloth gave us a big boost tonight. We've beaten two ACC opponents now, and getting 3 points to start league play is a great step forward."

Up Next
Wake Forest prepares for their final non-conference matchup against the USC Upstate Spartans on Sunday, Sept. 14 at Spry Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the contest will be streamed on ACCNX.

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Team Stats

Lola Ressler

Allie Flanagan

Brooke Miller

Kylie Maxwell

Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Dempsey Brown

Laine DeNatale

Sophie Faircloth

Allie Flanagan

Hannah Johnson

Kylie Maxwell

Brooke Miller

Lola Ressler

Sierra Sythe

Carly Wilson

Tahlia Zadeyan

Wake Forest Athletics