No. 18 Wake Forest Opens Season Against No. 16 LSU

8/11/2026 11:14:00 AM | Women's Soccer

In 2025, junior Lola Ressler netted her first career goal to carry the Deacs to a 1-0 victory over the Tigers.

By: Kaitlyn Stocum

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Kicking off their 2026 slate on home turf, No. 18 Wake Forest women's soccer opens the season against No. 16 LSU in an ACC/SEC Clash on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at Spry Stadium.

The contest is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACC Network with live stats available here.

Need to Know - Game 1
No. 18 Wake Forest (0-0) vs. No. 16 LSU (0-0)
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026 - 8 PM - ACCN
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
Non-conference games are $15 for reserved seating in Section 3, and general admission in any of the bleachered sections is priced at $10 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 4-18). Meanwhile, ACC games are $20 for reserved seating with general admission set at $15 for adults and $10 for youth.

Attendance on Walt Chyzowych Alumni Hill will remain free during all preseason and regular season action for both programs.

Ticket prices will increase by $5 on match days at the box office.

To secure your spot at Spry Stadium, visit godeacs.com/tickets (fees will be added for online purchases) or call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336.758.3322.

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 czardas@wfu.edu

Welcome to Wake, Coach Nairn
In the offseason, the Deacs saw an addition to the coaching staff, with assistant coach Christine Nairn joining the team. Nairn boasts a varied resume of experience, earning multiple accolades in her collegiate career at Penn State. In 2013, she was part of the very first NWSL draft, and spent over 10 years in the professional soccer world, dedicating her offseason playing in leagues in Australia. Eventually, Nairn retired from the professional world, but returned to soccer as a coach with the University of Houston. After a year with the Cougars, followed by a year at the University of Alabama, Nairn arrived in Winston-Salem.

Returning Production
The Demon Deacons bring back 14 players from the 2025 season, including over 60 percent of starters. Additionally, Wake Forest returns its top-four point scorers of Kylie Maxwell, Sierra Sythe, Allie Flanagan and Lola Ressler.

Valentina Amaral, Goalkeeper
- In her third season with the Deacs, goalkeeper Valentina Amaral provided stellar performances in net. She wrapped the 2025 season with six shutouts and 81 saves, bringing her career save percentage to .796, tied third best in program history. With her combined 2024 and 2025 GAA of 0.84, she ranks first in program history prior to 2026. This past July, Amaral was one of 20 keepers in the NCAA named to the United Soccer Coaches Goalkeepers to Watch List.
Kylie Maxwell, Forward
- Returning to the Wake Forest frontline for her sophomore season, the ACC Freshman of the Year has already put herself on the collegiate soccer map in just one season. In 2025, the Langhorne, Pa.-native led the Deacs with six goals and 17 points, earning nods on the All-ACC Freshman and Third Teams. Additionally, this past Monday, Maxwell landed herself on the United Soccer Coaches Forwards the Watch List.
Allie Flanagan, Forward
- Opposite of Maxwell, Flanagan proved an important piece of the Deacs' offense in her debut season. The forward tallied 11 points with five goals and an assist in 2025. The Round Hill, Va.-native earned a spot on the All-ACC Freshman Team, as well as Top 100 nods from TopDrawerSoccer.
Sierra Sythe, Defender
- Redshirt-junior Sierra Sythe brought veteran experience to a fresh backline following the departures of multiple Deacs headed into the 2025 season. Starting all 20 games, Sythe tallied 1,746 minutes, more than any other outfield player on the team while leading the team with nine assists. Rising sophomore Tahlia Zadeyan gained key experience as a freshman alongside Sythe, playing on a backline that allowed one goal or fewer in 11 of her 15 appearances.

Meet The Newcomers
The Demon Deacons bring a number of new talents to the 2026-27 season, with 11 total players: five transfers and six freshmen.

Freshmen
- Eva Forster (NC Courage Academy)
  - A native of Raleigh, N.C., Forster was a member of the NC Courage Academy, and trained with its pro team. Her father Paul hails from Newcastle, England, giving Forster the opportunity to represent her English-heritage with the WU16, 17 and 19 teams.
- Avery Fisher (Wilmington Hammerheads FC)
  - Fisher attended Hoggard High School in Wilmington, where she was a three-time All-Region First Team member, while also earning All-State and All-Conference first team nods. The Wilmington, N.C.-native comes from a long line of soccer talent, as her father Mike Fisher was a two-time Mac Hermann Trophy winner and three-time national champion with the Virginia Cavaliers. Additionally, Fisher's Aunt Katie Friske was a midfielder at Wake from 2000-2004.
- BraqElle Raisey (FC Dallas)
  - Hailing from north of Dallas, Raisey spent her club days with FC Dallas. She attended Lone Star High School in Frisco, and her twin sister will also begin her collegiate soccer career this fall at Colorado State.
- Ava Reddy (Penn Fusion)
  - Hailing from Downingtown, Pa., Reddy attended Downingtown West High School, scoring the opening goal at state championships to help the squad to their first title in 15 years. During her club years with Penn Fusion, she was a 2024 ECNL National Champion.
- Simone Basey (SoCal Blues)
  - Hailing from Southern California, the freshman was named to the 2025 ECNL U-17 Girls Southwest All-Conference First Team. In 2022, the defender was part of the USYNT Talent ID Roster and prior to Wake Forest played club soccer for So Cal Blues.
- Kenslee Ward (Florida Kraze Krush)
  - Ward spent multiple years with Team Boca as they won 2 USYS National Championships and earning her the Golden Glove Award in 2021 and 2024. Eventually, she joined Florida Kraze Krush and helped lead the team to multiple conference finals. In 2026, she made seven starts for Ft. Lauderdale United USL W.
Transfers
- Sofia Atehortua, UCLA
  - Transferring in after a year at UCLA, the sophomore adds international experience to the Deacs' midfield. The Trumbull, Conn.-native has been a member of the U.S. Youth National Teams from U-15 through U-19 levels and was most recently selected to the U.S. U-19/U-18 training camp in March of 2025. Atehortua also attended several training camps with the U-17 Colombian National Team.
- Henley Tippins, Georgetown
  - The lone graduate of the team, Tippins comes to Wake Forest after an undergraduate career at Georgetown. The Atlanta, Ga.-native wrapped up her time in DC with 20 goals, eight assists, and 48 points in 72 appearances.
- Riley Cross, Penn State
  - Entering her sophomore season, the transfer from Penn State has already made a name for herself with multiple call ups to the U-19 USYNT, alongside teammates Kylie Maxwell and Lizzie Thornton. A native of Chatham, N.J., Cross played in all 21 matches for the Nittany Lions, with three assists and a little over 900 minutes in the midfield.
- Taylor Maxwell, Miami
  - Maxwell joins the Wake Forest backline with her freshman season at the Miami Hurricanes under her belt. While her twin sister Kylie Maxwell began her career with the Demon Deacons, Taylor tallied over 700 minutes on the backline with the Hurricanes, making eight starts in 13 appearances.
- Kaitlyn Sasadeusz, San Francisco
  - The Deacs round out the transfer group with forward Kaitlyn Sasadeusz, who will join the Deacs for her senior year following a three-year stint at University of San Francisco. Across those years, Sasadeusz totaled over 2,000 minutes, eight goals and 22 points. During both her sophomore and junior season, the 2025 All-WCC Honorable Mention led her team in multiple offensive categories. In the 2025-26 season, Sasadeusz accounted for over a third of her team's goals over the entire season, and 30 percent of the squads' total points.

Quick Hitters

Wake Forest earned the No. 18 spot on United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
- Additionally, they were named No. 7 on the ACC Preseason Poll. with sophomore Kylie Maxwell named to the Preseason All-ACC team.
- Goalkeeper Valentina Amaral was one of 20 keepers in the NCAA to be named to United Soccer Coaches Mac Hermann Goalkeepers to Watch List.
- This past Monday, Maxwell earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches Forwards to Watch List.
The Deacs returned 14 players from 2025 and over 60 percent of starters. Meanwhile, Wake Forest added five transfers and welcomed six freshmen in the offseason.
Head Coach Tony da Luz enters his 30th season with the program, with a 330-205-67 (.605) record in his time with the Deacs.
- Assistant coach Christine Nairn joined the coaching staff this past January, following a year at the University of Alabama.

Scouting The Tigers

Sian Hudson enters her seventh season as head coach of the Tigers in 2026.
- Under her leadership, LSU has earned five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and 11th overall postseason appearance.
- LSU posted a 15-5-4 overall record in 2025, tying the program record for the most wins in a season, and earned the program's first NCAAT Sweet 16 berth.
Five Tigers were named to the Preseason SEC Watch List: senior forward Ava Galligan, forwards Sariyah Bailey and Allie Fryer, defender Kelsey Major and goalkeeper Audur Scheving.
- Galligan returns for her senior season after a standout 2025 campaign. The Ashburn, Va.-native led the Tigers with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points, including six game-winning goals. Her 11 goals ranked among the SEC's best, while her six game-winners led the league. Galligan earned First Team All-SEC honors following the season.
- Bailey enters her sophomore season after making an immediate impact for the Tigers as a freshman. The forward was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and earned Third Team All-SEC recognition after contributing to LSU's historic postseason run.
- Senior goalkeeper Scheving also returns after providing experience and depth between the posts for LSU. She recorded 42 saves and six wins last season.

Series History vs. LSU

The Demon Deacons are 3-0-0 against the Tigers, last meeting in 2025 at Spry Stadium.
- Wake Forest grabbed a 1-0 clean sheet victory in front of their home crowd.
- Junior Lola Ressler netted her first career goal against LSU, with sophomore Kylie Maxwell grabbing her first career-assists on the strike.

Up Next
The Deacs continue its opening weekend non-conference matches as they welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 5 p.m. The match will be streamed live on ACCNX with live stats available here.

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