No. 11 Deacs Pick Up Fourth-Straight Win in 1-0 Victory Over ODU

Sunday, August 23

Winston-Salem, N.C.

1 p.m.

Wake Forest University

4-0-0, 0-0-0

Old Dominion

1-3-0, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Old Dominion	0	0	0
Wake Forest	0	1	1

No. 11 Deacs Pick Up Fourth-Straight Win in 1-0 Victory Over ODU

8/23/2026 4:08:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score PDF Box Score Season Stats

Redshirt-junior defender Sierra Sythe recorded the lone goal of the match in the 68th minute.

By: Kaitlyn Stocum

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Behind a career first shutout for redshirt-freshman Lizzie Thornton, the Wake Forest women's soccer team (4-0-0, 0-0-0 ACC) extended its win streak to four games with a 1-0 victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs (1-3-0, 0-0-0 SBC) Sunday afternoon at Spry Stadium.

The Demon Deacons had no trouble starting up the offense in the first half, sending multiple shots towards the Monarch keeper Despite Wake Forest outshooting Old Dominion 15-2, the Deacs entered the locker room at halftime without a goal.

However, their persistence paid off in the 68th minute, as sophomore forward Allie Flanagan drew a foul right outside of the box, setting the Deacs up in prime scoring position. Redshirt-junior defender Sierra Sythe converted the free kick chance in the back of the net to give Wake Forest the 1-0 lead.

The goal marked her first of the season and seventh of her career.

Shortly after Sythe's tally, sophomore forward Kylie Maxwell tipped a deflected ball into the back of the net to double the lead, but after review the call was overturned and kept the Demon Deacons at a 1-0 advantage. The final minutes of the match saw Thornton shine as she made a key save to help the Deacs secure the win.

This afternoon's victory marks the fourth-straight shutout of the season, and extends Wake Forests' unbeaten record at home to 20 games, dating back to October 2024.

The Spry Advantage
The Deacs have posted a stellar 30-3-9 record at home since the start of 2022, with its lone loss over the past three seasons coming against No. 1 Duke in 2024. 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.

How It Happened

The Monarchs got an early attempt on net in the fourth minute, but redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Lizzie Thornton quickly covered the ball.
- This marked Thornton's first career save, as today also marked her first career appearance and start.
Sophomore forward Allie Flanagan called the ODU keeper into action in the eighth minute.
As the Monarchs pressured Wake Forest into the attacking zone, sophomore Kylie Maxwell made a decisive defensive move in the 15th minute to force the ball away from the attacking ODU forward.
A few minutes later, Flanagan sent the ball up to the top of the box to senior Dempsey Brown, but the midfielder's shot went right of the net.
Sophomore midfielder Riley Cross sent a beautiful ball towards the net in the 28th minute, but was off target.
Cross
At the half, Wake Forest led Old Dominion 15-2 shots, with possession 67 percent in favor of the Deacs.
The Demon Deacons wasted no time getting back in action, with Flanagan sending the ball high of the net less than two minutes out of the break.
- Cross followed a minute later, forcing the Monarch keeper to make the save.
Wake Forest maintained pressure in its offensive end, but couldn't find the back of the net.
The Demon Deacons finally broke through in the 68th minute after a foul at the top of the box placed the Deacs in perfect scoring position.
- Redshirt-junior defender Sierra Sythe netted the goal, her first of the season and seventh of her career.
Maxwell doubled the Deacs lead in the 79th minute, however after review the call was overturned and Wake Forest remained at 1-0.
Thornton made a key save in the 82nd minute, launching high to collect the shot.
The Demon Deacons defeated the Monarchs, 1-0.

Demon Deacon Details to Note

The Deacs have posted a stellar 30-3-9 record at home since the start of 2022, with its lone loss over the past three seasons coming against No. 1 Duke in 2024.
Redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Lizzie Thornton made her first career start.
Sophomore forward Allie Flanagan made her 20th career start.
Redshirt-junior defender Sierra Sythe recorded her first goal of the season and seventh of her career.
Wake Forest recorded a season-high 28 shots and eight shots on goal.

From Coach da Luz
"We played a very organized ODU team today who were excellent in defense and counterattacked effectively. Our soccer was outstanding today, we moved the ball well and our movement off the ball was creative. Allie dribbled well to draw the foul and Sierra took advantage with a fantastic freekick. We earned another team shutout and Lizzie's first college game shutout was great to see! We're improving in different areas each game and building to something special."

Up Next
Wake Forest is back at home for its final match before they hit the road on Saturday, Aug. 29 against Portland with kickoff at 7 p.m. Saturday will also serve as one of three senior nights, honoring senior MJ Osborne and graduate student Henley Tippins. The contest will be streamed on ACCNX with live stats available here.