2025 Wake Forest Demon Deacons women's soccer team
| 2025 Wake Forest Demon Deacons women's soccer | |
|---|---|
 | |
NCAA Tournament, Second Round | |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| U. Soc. Coaches poll | No. RV |
| Record | 11–5–4 (4–3–3 ACC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Associate head coach | Brittany Cameron (6th season) |
| Assistant coaches |
|
| Home stadium | Spry Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | W | L | T | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Stanford †‡y | 9 | – | 0 | – | 1 | .950 | 21 | – | 2 | – | 2 | .880 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 Notre Dame y | 8 | – | 1 | – | 1 | .850 | 15 | – | 2 | – | 3 | .825 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Duke y | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | .700 | 17 | – | 5 | – | 1 | .761 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Florida State y | 6 | – | 2 | – | 2 | .700 | 16 | – | 2 | – | 4 | .818 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Virginia y | 6 | – | 2 | – | 2 | .700 | 14 | – | 3 | – | 5 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 Louisville y | 6 | – | 2 | – | 2 | .700 | 13 | – | 5 | – | 3 | .690 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13т North Carolina y | 6 | – | 4 | – | 0 | .600 | 13 | – | 6 | – | 2 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 4 | – | 2 | – | 4 | .600 | 8 | – | 3 | – | 8 | .632 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest y | 4 | – | 3 | – | 3 | .550 | 11 | – | 5 | – | 4 | .650 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | .500 | 5 | – | 9 | – | 4 | .389 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson y | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | .500 | 8 | – | 6 | – | 5 | .553 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 2 | – | 6 | – | 2 | .300 | 8 | – | 8 | – | 2 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 2 | – | 8 | – | 0 | .200 | 6 | – | 10 | – | 2 | .389 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 1 | – | 7 | – | 2 | .200 | 7 | – | 8 | – | 3 | .472 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 1 | – | 7 | – | 2 | .200 | 5 | – | 8 | – | 5 | .417 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 1 | – | 8 | – | 1 | .150 | 5 | – | 9 | – | 4 | .389 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 0 | – | 8 | – | 2 | .100 | 4 | – | 10 | – | 4 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † – Conference champion ‡ – 2025 ACC Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA Tournament As of December 9, 2025 Rankings from United Soccer Coaches Poll Source: The ACC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 Wake Forest Demon Deacons women's soccer team represented Wake Forest University during the 2025 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Demon Deacons were led by head coach Tony da Luz, in his twenty-ninth season. They played their home games at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This was the team's 31st season playing organized women's college soccer, all of which have been played in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Deamon Deacons began the season ranked tenth in the United Soccer Coaches poll and won their first three games without conceding a goal. Two of the three games were against Power 4 opponents in SMU and LSU. Their first loss game on August 24 against Mississippi State. The loss saw them fall to nineteenth in the polls. They won their next two games and tied Brown before opening ACC play against Miami (FL). They defeated Miami and finished their non-conference season with a 6–2 victory over USC Upstate. That saw the team ranked sixteenth before going fully into ACC play. They defeated Virginia Tech and ninth-ranked Duke but drew Boston College over their next three games. The defeat of Duke saw them rise to twelfth in the rankings, but they then lost to NC State, and Clemson while drawing Louisville. This run of results saw them drop out of the rankings. The went 1–1–1 in their last three games, defeating Pittsburgh, drawing top-ranked Notre Dame, and finishing their season with a loss to fifth-ranked Florida State.
The Demon Deacons finished the regular season 10–4–4 overall and 4–3–3 in ACC ACC play to finish in ninth place. They did not qualify for the ACC Tournament. They received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament. They were selected as the seventh seed in the Stanford Bracket. They defeated South Carolina in the First Round before losing to second seed and ninth-ranked Michigan State in the Second Round to end their season.
Previous season
The Demon Deacons finished the regular season 12–3–2 overall and 7–2–1 in ACC ACC play to finish in a tie for second place. As the third seed in the ACC Tournament they earned a bye to the Semifinals where they met third seed and sixth ranked Florida State. The game was closer than it was in the regular season and Florida State prevailed in a penalty shoot-out. They received an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament. They were selected as the second seed in the Southern California Bracket. They defeated Morehead State in the First Round, Colorado in the Second Round, and third-seed and tenth ranked Ohio State in the Round of 16. They traveled to Southern California to face the first seed and fourth ranked Trojans in the Quarterfinals. Wake Forest prevailed in a penalty shoot-out to advance to the Semifinals. There they faced regular season opponent Stanford, and again won 1–0. They faced another regular season foe in the Final, North Carolina. The Demon Deacons again could not defeat the Tar Heels and finished as runners-up. Their final record was 16–4–4.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paige Nurkin | 0 | GK | 6'0" | Graduate Student | Charlotte, North Carolina | Graduated |
| Emily Colton | 3 | MF | 5'3" | Senior | Carlsbad, California | Graduated; signed professional contract with DC Power FC[1] |
| Nikayla Small | 4 | MF | 5'2" | Senior | Pickering, Canada | Graduated; signed professional contract with AFC Toronto[2] |
| Kristin Johnson | 7 | DF | 5'9" | Senior | Reykjavík, Iceland | Graduated |
| Caiya Hanks | 9 | FW | 5'4" | Junior | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii | Signed professional contract with Portland Thorns FC[3] |
| Malaika Meena | 10 | MF | 5'6" | Senior | Slough, England | Graduated |
| Emily Morris | 13 | MF | 5'8" | Senior | Fort Mill, South Carolina | Graduated |
| Tyla Ochoa | 17 | DF | 5'5" | Senior | Encinitas, California | Graduated |
| Kate Dobsch | 18 | DF | 5'9" | Senior | Winnetka, Illinois | Graduated |
| Josie Noble | 22 | MF | 5'8" | Freshman | Wilmette, Illinois | — |
| Zara Chavoshi | 24 | DF | 5'8" | Senior | Potomac, Maryland | Graduated; signed professional contract with Orlando Pride[4] |
| Nadia DeMarinis | 27 | DF | 5'7" | Senior | Boca Raton, Florida | Graduated |
| Olivia DeMarinis | 29 | DF | 5'7" | Senior | Graduated | |
| Anna Swanson | 30 | MF | 5'4" | Senior | Santa Fe, New Mexico | Graduated |
| Olivia Duvall | 31 | FW | 5'7" | Senior | Alexandria, Virginia | Graduated |
| Emily Silva | 32 | MF | 5'4" | Senior | Greensboro, North Carolina | Graduated |
| Abbie Colton | 33 | MF | 5'3" | Senior | Carlsbad, California | Graduated |
| Laurel Ansbrow | 34 | DF | 5'11" | Senior | Cary, North Carolina | Graduated; signed professional contract with Fort Lauderdale United FC[5] |
| Emily Murphy | 35 | FW | 5'6" | Senior | Windsor, England | Graduated; signed professional contract with Newcastle United[6] |
| Payton Cahill | 88 | GK | 5'8" | Senior | Cottage Grove, Minnesota | Graduated |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addison Roberts | 3 | DF | 5'9" | Junior | Edmond, Oklahoma | Oklahoma State |
| Brooke Miller | 10 | MF | 5'7" | Senior | San Diego, California | Portland[7] |
| Victoria Coninck | 33 | GK | 5'7" | Graduate Student | San Ramon, California | George Mason |
Recruiting class
| Name | Nationality | Hometown | Club | TDS Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sonoma Bever FW |
 |
Madison, Wisconsin | SC Wave |   [8]
|
Allie Flanagan FW |
|
Round Hill, Virginia | Virginia Development Academy | [9]
|
Alejandra Gomez MF |
 |
Madrid, Spain | Real Madrid | N/A |
Zaiba Ishaque DF |
 |
Manchester, England | Manchester United | N/A[10] |
Aislynn Maguire FW |
|
Winston-Salem, North Carolina | NC Fusion | [11]
|
Kylie Maxwell FW |
|
Langhorne, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals | [12]
|
Alicia Meincke MF |
|
Ashburn, Virginia | Fairfax Virginia Union | [13]
|
Elliana Ramirez FW |
|
Dallas, Texas | DKSC (ECNL) | [14]
|
Sydney Schuler MF |
|
Rancho Mission Viejo, California | San Diego Surf | [15]
|
Elizabeth Thornton GK |
|
Purcellville, Virginia | Northern Virginia Alliance | [16]
|
Jordan Turner DF |
|
Ashburn, Virginia | [17]
| |
Rachael Wright DF |
|
Grand Rapids, Michigan | Nationals | [18]
|
Tahlia Zadeyan DF |
|
San Diego, California | DCMV Sharks | [19]
|
Squad
Roster
- As of February 2, 2026 [20]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Team management
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Tony da Luz |
| Associate Head Coach | Brittany Cameron |
| Assistant Coach | Courtney Drummond |
| Assistant Coach | Taylor Culp |
Source:[20]
Schedule
| Date Time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site City, State | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| August 6* 6:00 p.m. |
No. 10 | No. 15 Virginia | None Reported[23] | — |
Spry Stadium Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| August 9* 6:00 p.m. |
No. 10 | at No. 1 North Carolina | None Reported[24] | — |
Dorrance Field Chapel Hill, NC | ||||||
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| August 14* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 10 | SMU | W 2–0 | 1–0–0 |
Spry Stadium (467) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| August 17* 1:00 p.m., ACCN |
No. 10 | LSU | W 1–0 | 2–0–0 |
Spry Stadium (578) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| August 21* 5:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 10 | Villanova | W 2–0 | 3–0–0 |
Spry Stadium (1,975) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| August 24* 6:30 p.m., SECN |
No. 10 | at Mississippi State | L 1–2 | 3–1–0 |
MSU Soccer Field (1,454) Starkville, MS | ||||||
| August 28* 8:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 19 | USF | W 1–0 | 4–1–0 |
Spry Stadium (1,279) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| September 4* 7:00 p.m., FloCollege |
No. 17 | at College of Charleston | W 2–0 | 5–1–0 |
Patriots Point Athletics Complex (112) Mount Pleasant, SC | ||||||
| September 7* 12:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 17 | Brown | T 1–1 | 5–1–1 |
Spry Stadium (1,000) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| September 10 8:00 p.m., ACCN |
No. 18 | Miami (FL) | W 3–1 | 6–1–1 (1–0–0) |
Spry Stadium (506) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| September 14* 1:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 18 | USC Upstate | W 6–2 | 7–1–1 |
Spry Stadium (483) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| September 18 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 16 | Virginia Tech | W 2–1 | 8–1–1 (2–0–0) |
Spry Stadium (773) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| September 21 1:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 16 | at Boston College | T 0–0 | 8–1–2 (2–0–1) |
Newton Campus Soccer Field (675) Chestnut Hill, MA | ||||||
| September 25 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 19 | at No. 9 Duke | W 3–2 | 9–1–2 (3–0–1) |
Koskinen Stadium (484) Durham, NC | ||||||
| October 2 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
No. 12 | at NC State | L 1–2 | 9–2–2 (3–1–1) |
Dail Soccer Field (1,001) Raleigh, NC | ||||||
| October 9 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 13 | Louisville | T 1–1 | 9–2–3 (3–1–2) |
Spry Stadium (543) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| October 16 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
No. 17т | at Clemson | L 0–1 | 9–3–3 (3–2–2) |
Riggs Field (735) Clemson, SC | ||||||
| October 23 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Pittsburgh | W 2–1 | 10–3–3 (4–2–2) |
Spry Stadium (690) Winston-Salem, NC | |||||||
| October 26 2:00 p.m., ACCNX |
No. 1 Notre Dame | T 1–1 | 10–3–4 (4–2–3) |
Spry Stadium (746) Winston-Salem, NC | |||||||
| October 30 6:00 p.m., ACCN |
at No. 5 Florida State | L 1–4 | 10–4–4 (4–3–3) |
Seminole Soccer Complex (1,109) Tallahassee, FL | |||||||
| NCAA Tournament | |||||||||||
| November 14* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
(7) | South Carolina First Round |
W 2–1 | 11–4–4 |
Spry Stadium (1,824) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||||
| November 20* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
(7) | at (2) No. 9 Michigan State Second Round |
L 0–1 | 11–5–4 |
DeMartin Soccer Complex (1,247) East Lansing, MI | ||||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. | |||||||||||
Awards and honors
| Recipient | Award | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allie Flanagan | Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI Freshman Team | August 12 | [25] |
| Valentina Amaral | ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week – Week 1 | August 19 | [26] |
| Kylie Maxwell | ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week – Week 7 | September 30 | [27] |
| Kylie Maxwell | ACC Freshman of the Year | November 5 | [28] |
| Valentina Amaral | All-ACC Third Team | ||
| Kylie Maxwell | |||
| Allie Flanagan | ACC All-Freshman Team | ||
| Kylie Maxwell |
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| United Soccer[29] | 10 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 17т | RV | RV | RV | Not released | RV | ||
| TopDrawer Soccer[30] | 18 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 20 | 22 | 12 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
References
- ^ "DC Power Football Club Signs Wake Forest University Midfielder Emily Colton". DC Power FC. January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
- ^ Elhilali, Rania (January 27, 2025). "AFC Toronto Announces Canadian Midfielder Nikayla Small". Northern Tribune.
- ^ "Portland Thorns FC Sign Forward and 2024 MAC Hermann Finalist Caiya Hanks". Portland Thorns FC. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
- ^ Rollins, Sean (January 13, 2025). "Orlando Pride Sign Defender Zara Chavoshi to One-Year Deal". The Mane Land. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC signs Wake Forest defender Laurel Ansbrow". USL Super League. January 23, 2025. Archived from the original on January 23, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
- ^ "Women. Newcastle United Women sign Emily Murphy". Newcastle United W.F.C. January 25, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Women's Division I Transfer Tracker". TopDrawerSoccer. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ "Sonoma Bever". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Allie Flanagan". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Women's DI International Signees". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Aislynn Maguire". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Kylie Maxwell". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Alicia Meincke". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Elliana Ramirez". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Sydney Schuler". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Elizabeth Thornton". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Jordan Turner". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Rachael Wright". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Tahlia Zadeyan". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 Women's Soccer Roster". godeacs.com. Wake Forest University. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
- ^ "2025 Women's Soccer Schedule". godeacs.com. Wake Forest University. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Reigning National Finalist Wake Forest Women's Soccer Releases 2025 Schedule". godeacs.com. Wake Forest University. April 21, 2025. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ @WakeWSoccer (August 6, 2025). "Preseason starts TONIGHT 👊 Join us at Spry Stadium at 6 p.m. for tonight's exhibition match. Admission is free 🎟️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @uncwomenssoccer; (August 9, 2025). "Exhibitions complete, regular season 🔜 #GoHeels" – via Instagram.
- ^ "2025 Women's Division I Preseason Awards". topdrawersoccer.com. Top Drawer Soccer. August 12, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
- ^ "ACC Announces Women's Soccer Player of Week Honors". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. August 19, 2025. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
- ^ "ACC Announces Women's Soccer Player of the Week Honors". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. September 30, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "2025 All-ACC Women's Soccer Awards Announced". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. November 5, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ "United Soccer Coaches Top 25 NCAA DI Women — National". unitedsoccercoaches.org. United Soccer Coaches. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ "College Soccer National Rankings". TopDrawer Soccer. TopDrawerSoccer. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 9, 2025.