Demon Deacons Grab Opening Night Ranked Victory over Tigers

Wednesday, August 12

Winston-Salem, N.C.

8 p.m.

Wake Forest University

1-0-0, 0-0-0

LSU

0-1-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
LSU	0	0	0
Wake Forest	0	2	2

Photo by: Seth Seebaugh / Wake Forest Athletics

Demon Deacons Grab Opening Night Ranked Victory over Tigers

8/13/2026 12:04:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score PDF Box Score Season Stats

Tonight marked the Deacs 40th home ranked win in program history.

By: Kaitlyn Stocum

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's soccer team (1-0-0, 0-0-0 ACC) secured its first win of the 2026 season with a 2-0 victory over the LSU Tigers (0-1-0, 0-0-0 SEC) Wednesday night at Spry Stadium.

With tonight's win against No. 16 LSU, the Deacs marked their 40th program ranked win at home and 72nd overall win.

The Demon Deacons threw early shots at the Tigers' keeper, with sophomore forward Allie Flanagan placing the first good look of the night on target. Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Valentina Amaral was forced into action as LSU created offensive chances of their own.

With shots tied at 8-8 headed into the half, the Deacs soon found themselves on the front foot. Senior midfielder Dempsey Brown saw a golden opportunity from a Demon Deacon corner to net her first career strike in the 69th minute.

As the Tigers pressured the Wake Forest defense, Amaral held steady with back-to-back saves in the 75th and 76th minutes.

The Deacs doubled their lead in the 87th minute, with sophomore forward Kylie Maxwell recording her seventh career goal.

Additionally, tonight's clean sheet victory marked Amaral's 14th career shutout.

The Spry Advantage
The Deacs have posted a stellar 27-3-9 record at home since the start of 2022, with its lone loss over the past three seasons coming against No. 1 Duke in 2024. Wake Forest finished the 2025 season with a 8-0-3 record at Spry, highlighted by a 1-1 draw with No. 1 Notre Dame to close the home regular season slate.

How It Happened

The Deacs earned an early chance with sophomore Kylie Maxwell posting the first shot of the evening on LSU's keeper.
Sophomore defender Tahlia Zadeyan caught a piece off a Demon Deacon corner, but sent the ball high of the net.
Despite the Tigers' efforts to push into their offensive zone, Wake Forest's backline held tight with redshirt-junior Valentina Amaral anchoring the defense.
- LSU recorded their first shot of the night at the 21st minute but Amaral made the easy save.
- The Tigers saw a rebound opportunity, but Zadeyan was there for the block.
In the 27th minute, junior Lola Ressler picked up on a rebound chance from sophomore Allie Flanagan's shot, but sent it wide of the net.
Wake Forest kept pressure on the Tigers, with a cross from Maxwell finding sophomore transfer Riley Cross netfront.
- LSU's keeper however was there for the save.
Fresh off the bench, sophomore transfer Sofia Atehortua got a look in, sending it high of the net.
The squads remained even at the break, with eight shots apiece.
Action stayed even out of the second half, with both teams exchanging shots.
The Demon Deacons continued to press for offensive chances, but couldn't find their way up to the net.
Wake Forest broke through in the 69th minute to take the lead.
- Senior midfielder Dempsey Brown capitalized on the Deacs' set piece for her first career goal.
Flanagan kept the offensive pressure on the Tigers with an on target attempt but the LSU keeper was there for the save.
Maxwell doubled the Deacs' lead with a last-minute goal in the 88th minute.
Wake Forest defeated LSU, 2-0.

Demon Deacon Details to Note

The Deacs have posted a stellar 27-3-9 record at home since the start of 2022, with its lone loss over the past three seasons coming against No. 1 Duke in 2024.
Wake Forest finished the 2025 season with an 8-0-3 record at Spry.
Three players made their first appearances as a Demon Deacon.
Freshman midfielder Eva Forster made her first career appearance.
Sophomore forward Kylie Maxwell made her 20th career start.
Senior midfielder Dempsey Brown recorded her first career goal in the 69th minute.
Sophomore midfielder Riley Cross recorded her first point as a Demon Deacon with an assist on Maxwell's goal.

From Coach da Luz
"We earned a great home win against a top SEC squad. LSU was difficult to play against, but we stuck to our principles and controlled large portions of the game. We are improving each game in all areas. Our improved depth shined tonight with many different players making key contributions. Sunday will be another strong challenge with South Carolina coming to Spry!"

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.