No. 11 Wake Forest Extends Win Streak with 2-0 Victory over Iowa

Thursday, August 20

Winston-Salem, N.C.

5 p.m.

Wake Forest University

3-0-0, 0-0-0

Iowa

2-1-0, 0-0-0

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

Photo by: Seth Seebaugh / Wake Forest Athletics

No. 11 Wake Forest Extends Win Streak with 2-0 Victory over Iowa

8/20/2026 8:52:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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Junior Lola Ressler scored just 46 seconds into the contest, the third fastest goal in program history.

By: Kaitlyn Stocum

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The Wake Forest women's soccer team (3-0-0, 0-0-0 ACC) secured its third shutout victory of the season over the Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1-0, 0-0-0 BIG TEN) Thursday night at Spry Stadium.

Tonight's victory marked the first Demon Deacon win over the Hawkeyes in their three meetings since 2000.

The Deacs were off to a hot start, as junior midfielder Lola Ressler scored less than a minute into the game. Her goal marked the third fastest in program history, overtaking Nikki Small's goal in 2024 against NC State.

Although the Hawkeyes led Wake Forest by a shot at the half, the Demon Deacons pressed on. Out of the break, senior midfielder Dempsey Brown found Ressler close by at the top of the box to double the Deacs' lead.

The two goals marked Ressler's second career brace, with her first against Miami on Sept. 10, 2025. Brown and sophomore forward Kylie Maxwell each earned assists on the goal, their first of the season.

Redshirt-junior goalkeeper Valentina Amaral proved resilient in net, facing eight shots across 90 minutes and securing her third consecutive shutout.

The Spry Advantage
The Deacs have posted a stellar 29-3-9 record at home since the start of 2022, with its lone loss over the past three seasons coming against No. 1 Duke in 2024. Tonight extends the Deacs' unbeaten home streak to 19 games, dating back to October 2024. In 2025, Wake Forest finished the 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.

Brick Wall Amaral
Across 45 appearances and 41 starts, redshirt-junior Valentina Amaral has positioned herself as one of the top goalkeepers in the country. Her performances in net have led to 16 individual career shutouts, five combined shutouts and 26 wins. In 2024, she finished the season with the best goals-against average in program history at 0.69 and her results since then have spoken for themselves.

Player (Year Played)	Career Goals Against Average
Valentina Amaral (2023-present)	*0.84*
Aubrey Bledsoe (2010-13)	0.91
Laura Morse (2006-09)	0.94
Amanda Barasha (2007-10) Kaitlyn Parks (2020-23)	1.01

How It Happened

Wake Forest took the lead less than a minute into the game.
- Junior midfielder Lola Ressler netted her second goal of the season 46 seconds into the match to kick off the contest.
  - Ressler's goal marked the third fastest goal program in Wake Forest women's soccer history.
The Hawkeyes forced goalkeeper Valentina Amaral into action in the seventh and 16th minutes.
Sophomore Kylie Maxwell got into the action in the 23rd minute, throwing an attempt on the Iowa keeper who was there for the save.
- The forward put another shot on the keeper in the 29th minute.
At the break, the Hawkeyes led the Deacs by 8 shots to 7, with Wake Forest holding 54 percent possession over Iowa's 46.
Ressler doubled the lead in the 52nd minute.
- The strike marked her second career brace.
Sophomore forward Kylie Maxwell and senior midfielder Dempsey Brown notched assists on the goal.
Iowa picked up pace quickly after Ressler's goal, forcing Amaral far right to make a save in the 52nd minute.
The Hawkeyes continued to apply pressure on the Demon Deacons, pressing hard into their attacking zone.
Amaral was once again called into action in the 76th and 77th minutes, but stood tall between the posts.
Wake Forest defeated Iowa, 2-0.

Demon Deacon Details to Note

The Deacs have posted a stellar 29-3-9 record at home since the start of 2022, with its lone loss over the past three seasons coming against No. 1 Duke in 2024.
Junior midfielder Lola Ressler recorded her second career brace.
Sophomore defender Tahlia Zadeyan and senior defender Sammi Wiemann made their 10th career starts.
Senior midfielder Dempsey Brown made her 50th career start.
Freshman defender BraqElle Raisey made her first career appearance.

From Coach da Luz
"Iowa put us under a lot of pressure. They're a really good team so that's a huge win for us. They scored 12 goals in their first two games, so it showed a lot that we shut them down today. We had to really work for it and respond to their attempts. The kids are doing a great job of managing their emotions and moving onto the next play. Valentina is the most confident I have ever seen her right now and we're lucky to have her. When we got into scoring positions we had some opportunity to cash and made some passes that weren't great. Every game we add a little bit of something new and every game we're improving."

Up Next
The Deacs return this Sunday, Aug. 23 against Old Dominion for the "We are Wake" Mental Health Awareness Match. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. and the contest will be streamed on ACCNX with live stats available here.