No. 19 Wake Forest Set for First Big Four Matchup against No. 9 Blue Devils

DURHAM, N.C. -- Looking to remain unbeaten in conference play, the No. 19-ranked Wake Forest women's soccer team (8-1-2, 2-0-1 ACC) is primed for its first Big Four matchup against the No. 9-ranked Duke Blue Devils (6-2-1, 1-2-0 ACC) this Thursday, Sept 25, at Koskinen Stadium.

The contest is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX with live stats available here. For the first time ever, the game will also be available on the Wake Forest Gameday App (audio only).

Need to Know - Game 12
No. 19 Wake Forest (8-1-2, 2-0-1 ACC) vs. No. 9 Duke (6-2-1, 1-2-0 ACC)
Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025 - 7 PM - ACCNX
Durham, N.C. – Koskinen Stadium

Quick Hitters

The Demon Deacons currently rank 19th on the United Soccer Coaches Poll and 22nd on TopDrawerSoccer. Additionally, Wake Forest is unbeaten in conference play for the first time since 2013.
Wake Forest enters the match 2-0-1 in ACC play and second in the conference with seven points. Of note, seven points is the most for the Demon Deacons through three matches since 2013. The Deacs are also one of just six teams that remain unbeaten in ACC play.
- A win this Thursday would mark the Deacs' best conference record through four games since 2011.
Through eleven games of the season, redshirt sophomore Sierra Sythe has totaled six assists and is third in the conference.
Between the posts, redshirt sophomore Valentina Amaral leads the conference in shutouts per game and ranks fourth in the country with six clean sheets so far this season.
The Demon Deacons last defeated the Blue Devils in Durham on Oct. 24, 2021, in an upset that sent Wake Forest to the second round of the 2021 ACC Championship. The victory marked the first victory against the Blue Devils since 2013.
Thursday's contest marks the first time the two head coaches will be meeting as Kieran Hall is in his first season leading the Blue Devils.

Last Time Out (vs. Boston College)

Wake Forest opened on the front foot immediately as Flanagan won a corner just 40 seconds into the match.
The Demon Deacons recorded the first shot of the contest as Ressler fired one just over the bar in the fifth minute.
Amaral made her first save of the afternoon in the 12th minute as she easily corralled the Boston College attempt.
- The standout keeper was called into action again three minutes later when she made an impressive diving stop and kept the match scoreless.
The Eagles continued to put pressure on the Deacs early, but Amaral made yet another incredible save as she tipped an attempt onto the bar in the 16th minute.
Wison had a long-ranged effort go wide in the 22nd minute as Wake Forest began to grow back into the game.
The Deacs called the Boston College keeper into action for the first time with seven minutes remaining in the first half, as Chance fired from the edge of the box and forced a difficult save.
The two sides went into the locker rooms deadlocked at 0-0.
The best chance of the afternoon for the Deacs came in the 54th minute, as DeNatale played a great through-ball to set Maxwell free on goal, but the Boston College keeper kept the freshman's attempt out.
- DeNatale took a shot herself a minute later from distance that went just over the bar.
With just under 18 minutes remaining, Sythe played a brilliant ball into the box for Johnson, whose headed attempt missed the target.
Neither side was able to find the breakthrough as the points were shared.

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 35 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 is tied first in the ACC in shutouts per game and fourth nationally with her six clean sheets.

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 four goals, four assists, and a team high 12 points. She is now one assist shy of being tied for fifth in program history in single-season assists for a freshman. Additionally, Maxwell has started all eleven contests this season and saw a career-high 90 minutes in the 2-1 ACC victory over the Hokies. Her four strikes are tied for the team lead among fellow freshman Allie Flanagan and sophomore Lola Ressler.

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 eleven appearances, gone the full 90 in four of them, totaling 857 minutes. On her opposing shoulder, redshirt sophomore defender Sierra Sythe has also been a key factor in Wake Forest's defense. Beyond her defensive presence, Sythe has totaled six assists on the season, of which she leads the team and is third in the conference.

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 eleven 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 Blue Devils

Head coach Kieran Hall enters his first season at the helm of the Blue Devils, following the retirement of previous head coach Robbie Church.
- Hall joined the program in 2019 as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2020.
Duke is 6-2-1 overall in 2025, featuring an unbeaten 4-0-1 home record.
- The Blue Devils are 1-2-0 in conference play, with a 1-0 victory at Miami and losses at top-ranked No. 5 Virginia and No. 6 Notre Dame. The squad has yet to play a conference game at home.
- With wins over No. 11 Penn State and No. 8 Arkansas, the Blue Devils are 2-2 against ranked opponents headed into Thursday's contest.
Last season, Duke went 18-3-1 overall and 9-0-1 in conference play, and finished first overall in the ACC regular season before falling to North Carolina in both the ACC Championship and NCAA College Cup semifinals.
The Blue Devils were picked to finish fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll with Mia Minestrella, Mia Oliaro and Cameron Roller, all named to the Preseason All-ACC team.
- Minestrella entered her third season in Durham this past August with 12 career goals, all during her sophomore year, and has already totaled seven this year, of which she leads the team.
- After a lower-body injury ended her 2024 season prematurely, redshirt junior Kat Rader returned to the pitch in 2025 and leads the squad in points. Named to the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Forwards to Watch List, Rader has totaled six goals, seven assists, and 19 points in all nine starts for the Blue Devils.
Hall brought in a freshman class ranked No. 3 nationally, all of whom have already made key appearances for Duke.
- Freshman forward Avery Oder has started all nine games of the season and ranks third on the team with ten points on the year, with four goals and two assists.

Series History vs. Duke

The Demon Deacons are 10-22-5 against the Duke Blue Devils with a 2-10-2 mark on the road.
- The two programs met for the first time in Winston-Salem on Sept. 4, 1994, where the Deacs fell 0-4.
- Wake Forest's last trip to Koskinen Stadium on Oct. 6, 2022 resulted in a 1-2 loss for the Demon Deacons. The lone strike was scored by ProDeac Giovanna DeMarco in the 27th minute.
- This past season, the Demon Deacons hosted the Blue Devils at Spry Stadium on Oct. 27, 2024 and saw a 0-2 result.

Up Next
The Demon Deacons will head back out for their final Big Four contest of the regular season against the NC State Wolfpack on Thursday, Oct. 2 at Dail Soccer Field. The contest will be streamed nationally on ACCN with kickoff at 7 pm.

No. 19 Wake Forest Set for First Big Four Matchup against No. 9 Blue Devils

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Players Mentioned

Valentina Amaral

Giovanna DeMarco

Laine DeNatale

Allie Flanagan

Kylie Maxwell

Lola Ressler

Sierra Sythe

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No. 19 Wake Forest Set for First Big Four Matchup against No. 9 Blue Devils

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Laine DeNatale

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Lola Ressler

Sierra Sythe

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