Demon Deacons Head South for Saturday Showdown in Miami

Saturday, October 10

Coral Gables, Fla.

1 p.m.

Wake Forest University

Miami

Photo by: Eklavya Chawla / Wake Forest Athletics

Demon Deacons Head South for Saturday Showdown in Miami

10/9/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Live Stats Watch Game Notes

Wake Forest is 3-1-0 on the road this season, with a notable ranked win over the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

By: Kaitlyn Stocum

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Heading back to the Sunshine State for the second time this season, No. 4 Wake Forest women's soccer team will face the Miami Hurricanes this Saturday, Oct. 10th at Cobb Stadium.

The contest is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX with live stats available here.

Need to Know - Game 12
No. 4 Wake Forest (10-1) vs. Miami (8-3-1)
Saturday, Oct. 10 2026 - 1 PM - ACCNX
Coral Gables, Fla. – Cobb Stadium

Last Time Out

Highlighted by a fifth game-winning goal for Sierra Sythe, the No. 4 Wake Forest women's soccer team (10-1-0, 3-1-0 ACC) defeated NC State (9-2-2, ACC 2-2-1), Sunday night at Spry Stadium.
Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Valentina Amaral caught early action, recording a save in the third minute of the contest.
Action remained neck-and-neck through the opening stages of the match.
Wake Forest took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute.
- Sophomore Allie Flanagan struck on a second chance opportunity set up by graduate student Henley Tippins.
In the 34th minute, senior defender Sammi Wiemann took the ball away from the NC State forward, permitting the Pack from a shot opportunity.
Wake Forest led 1-0 at the half, with shots 7-4 in favor of the Deacs.
NC State equalized in the 47th minute.
The Demon Deacons looked for a scoring opportunity in the 54th minute off a corner, but Flanagan sent the goal high of the net.
Wake Forest took a one goal lead in the 72nd minute from a converted penalty kick.
- Redshirt-junior Sierra Sythe beat the keeper on the high right to net her fifth PK of the season
Junior midfielder Lola Ressler extended the Deacs' advantage four minutes later.
- Sophomore midfielder Riley Cross played the ball into zone, finding Flanagan open to send a ball in front of the net.
- Ressler stretched to send the ball into the top right corner.
NC State looked for opportunities in the final minutes with corners in the 79th and 80th minutes.
The Demon Deacons defeated the Wolfpack, 3-1.

Sierra Snipe
Whether it's on offense or defense, redshirt-junior Sierra Sythe has been a commanding piece, guiding the Demon Deacons to a 7-0 record before conference play. The captain has gone the full 90 all but one game this season, still recording 82 minutes in the game. Sythe ranks second nationally and first in the conference with five-game winning goals, and tops the offensive categories for the Deacs. Last Sunday, she recorded the game-winner against NC State to keep the Deacs perfect at home. With seven goals and 15 points, she held a four-game scoring streak prior to ACC play. Her consistency has shown up in other categories, converting 4-of-4 penalty kicks for the Deacs. Sythe's efforts this season have earned her three ACC Player of the Week awards, and a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year Leaderboard. Most recently, she was named on the Mac Hermann Midseason Trophy Watch List for the first time in her career.

Department of Defense
Wake Forest's defense has proven itself as one of the top defenses' in the country. Redshirt-junior Sierra Sythe and senior Sammi Wiemann continue to be secure pieces to the defense, with Sythe now on a 46-game start streak. Beyond her defensive skill, Sythe also leads the Deacs offensively across three categories. Sophomore Tahlia Zadeyan has settled into her role as centerback, bringing added height to the line. Sophomore Taylor Maxwell was unstoppable against the Florida Gators helping to limit the Gators to two shots on goal. With the combined skills across the backline, Wake Forest limited No. 10 Virginia to three shots in their ACC opener. With the combined efforts in net and on the backline, Wake Forest ranks 13th in the country and 1st in the ACC with a .868 save percentage. Additionally, the Deacs are first in the conference and 12th in the nation with a team 0.45 goals against average.

Finders Keepers
Beyond the efforts of the Wake Forest defense, the Deacs' anchors remain a shining element to the Demon Deacons' game. Redshirt-junior Valentina Amaral continues to dominate in goal, earning her 30th career win against No. 10 Virginia to open conference competition. Last Wednesday, she was named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List, college soccer's highest individual honor. Amaral ranks first in the ACC with 0.51 goals against average and 0.853 save percentage, allowing an ACC best four goals this season. Additionally, the All-American ranks third in Wake Forest program history with 18 career individual shutouts, behind NWSL Pros Kaitlyn Parks and Aubrey Kingsbury (Bledsoe).

Midfield Mania
The Wake Forest midfield has been a force to fear both at home and on the road. Junior Lola Ressler is second on the team with four goals, with her most recent strike against NC State last Sunday. Ressler also netted her first career brace in August against Iowa, earning the Deacs their first win over the Hawkeyes in program history. The midfielder's first goal against Iowa was just 46 seconds in, tying fourth in program history for fastest goal scored. Alongside Ressler, senior captain Dempsey Brown recorded her first career goal in the home opener against No. 16 LSU, earning her TopDrawerSoccer National Player of the Week. The midfielder has shown versatility, slotting into the backline against the South Florida Bulls and No. 21 Florida.

Quick Hitters

Wake Forest remained at the top of the nation in recent polls, earning No. 4 on United Soccer Coaches and No. 5 TopDrawerSoccer. Their RPI ranks fourth in the nation.
The Demon Deacons completed the non-conference schedule 7-0-0 and one goal allowed on the road.
- Redshirt juniors Valentina Amaral and Sierra Sythe have amassed numerous accolades already this season, including spots on the Mac Hermann Midseason Watch List.
  - Sythe has been named ACC Defender of the week three times, while Amaral was named Goalkeeper of the week twice.
  - Additionally, Sythe sits on the TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year Leaderboard.
Head Coach Tony da Luz is in his 30th season with the program, with a 340-206-67 (.609) record in his time with the Deacs.
The Demon Deacons have one player with double-digit points and five players with five or more so far in 2026.
- Sierra Sythe - 15 points (7 goals, 1 assist)
- Lola Ressler - 9 points (4 goals, 1 assist)
- Kylie Maxwell - 8 points (3 goals, 2 assists)
- Henley Tippins - 8 points (3 goals, 2 assists)
- Allie Flanagan - 7 points (2 goals, 3 assists)
- Riley Cross - 6 points (1 goals, 4 assists)

Series History vs. Miami

This Saturday marks the 21st all-time meeting of the two programs.
- The Deacs are 16-4-0 against the Hurricanes, with a 4-4-0 mark on the road.
Wake Forest and Miami have competed twice at Cobb Stadium in the past ten years, with the Deacs claiming the most recent victory in 2022.
The teams faced off in 2025 at Spry Stadium, with the Deacs taking a 3-1 victory. Then freshmen Kylie and Taylor Maxwell competed against each other during T. Maxwell's rookie year in Coral Gables.

Scouting the Hurricanes

Miami is led by Ken Masuhr, in his third season with the program. Masuhr was previously an associate head coach and assistant coach at Vanderbilt University from 2015-2023.
The Hurricanes are 8-3-1 this season, with a 2-1-1 record at home. Miami ranks 36th in the country in RPI, with Top-50 victories against NC State and SMU.
Offensively, Miami is led by freshman duo Zoie Fontenot and Madelynn Sadusky, who have combined for seven goals, 14 points and 18 shots on goal.
- Fontenot has tallied three game-winning goals, while Sadusky has two.
The Hurricanes are anchored by senior goalkeeper Atlee Olofson, who transferred from Notre Dame for her final year.
- Olofson has started 12 of 12 matches, tallying four shutouts. The veteran has also recorded two goals, converting two of two penalty kicks.
Junior defender Jessica Kaye conducts the backline, logging 1024 minutes, the most of any outfield player.

Up Next
Wake Forest hosts reigning national champions No. 22 Florida State this Thursday, Oct. 15th at Spry Stadium for its annual Pink Match, in support of Breast Cancer Research. The game will be nationally televised on ACCN, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.

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