The Wake Forest University Demon Deacons women's soccer team that plays in the, NCAA Division I college soccer team composed of students attending Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They achieved their best NCAA Tournament result in both 2011 and 2024, when they reached the College Cup. Like all sports teams from Wake Forest, women's soccer competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Deacons play their home matches at Spry Stadium which is on the campus of Wake Forest.
History
1990s Wake Forest fielded its first team in 1994, under the coaching of Chris Turner. The Deacons went 8–9–0 in their first season. However, all of those 8 wins came outside the Atlantic Coast Conference. Despite the team's 0–6 conference record, they still qualified for the ACC Women's Soccer Tournament, where they would lose in the first round. In 1995, the team won their first ACC game, and finished with a .500 record of 9–9–3. Continuing to build, they won 2 conference games and their first ACC tournament game in 1996. Their 14–8 overall record would be the program's first winning record. The team qualified for its first NCAA Tournament. This would start a run of 18 straight NCAA qualifications for the Demon Deacons. The team couldn't quite reach the same heights in 1997, finishing 11–8–2 and losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After the season Chris Turner would leave as head coach and would be replaced by Tony da Luz. In his first season, Da Luz would lead the Demon Deacons to their first ever winning conference season. The team also qualified for the NCAA Tournament and finished the season nationally ranked. In 1999, a trip to the third round of the NCAA Tournament earned the team its first top 15 ranking at the end of the season. The Demon Deacons closed the season with a 16–6–1 record. A program record for wins in a season that stood until 2011. The team also finished as runners up in the ACC Tournament.
2000s The decade began with the Demon Deacon's third straight 4–3 ACC record. However, this year it was good enough to finish for a tie for second place in the standings. However, early exits in both the ACC and NCAA tournament saw the team finish with a final ranking of 23rd nationally. This was the third straight year the team finished nationally ranked. In 2001, the team ended a string of five straight winning seasons when they finished the season 9–9–2 overall. They returned to their winning ways in 2002, but regressed in the ACC, finishing 2–4–1 and tied for seventh place in the standings. The regression continued in 2003 when the team only won 1 game in the ACC. However, the team continued to qualify for the NCAA tournament in these years. 2004 was a bit of a rebound year, as the team finished 4–4–1 in the ACC and 10–7 overall, for the second consecutive year. In 2006, the Demon Deacons had their first ACC winning season since 2001, finishing 6–4–0 and tied a program record with 16 overall wins. The team finished 19th in the final national rankings, their first end of season ranking since 2000. The Demon Deacons achieved another final national ranking in 2007 after finishing 6–2–2 in the ACC and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Their ranking run would continue in 2008 when the team finished 25th overall. 2009 would provide a breakthrough in the NCAA tournament, the Demon Deacons made the Quarterfinals. This would be good enough to reach eighth in the final rankings, a program best at the time.
2010s The decade would start off with a program first in 2010. This year was the first time that Wake Forest won the ACC Tournament. They managed to win the tournament despite finishing fifth in the conference regular season. A second round appearance in the NCAA tournament was good enough to extend the streak of being ranked in the final rankings. 2011 was by all accounts the best season in program history. The team was runner up in the ACC Tournament and finished with a program best 18 overall wins. The Demon Deacons also had their best NCAA Tournament finish in history. They qualified for the College Cup as a #1 seed in the tournament and finished the season ranked fourth, a program best. 2012 couldn't quite see the same success. However, the team did improve on its conference record. 2013 ended seven-year run of being ranked in the final rankings, as a 12–7–2 record and NCAA Sweet 16 appearance was not good enough to crack the final top 25. 2014 was the Demon Deacons first overall losing record since 1994, the year the program began. They would also miss out on the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996. Things would get worse in 2015 when the team lost 12 games overall and finished tied for last in the ACC. In 2016, the team mustered an overall winning record, but could not improve on a 2–8 conference record. The team returned to the ACC tournament in 2017 for the first time in 4 seasons and ended a three-year skid of not qualifying for the NCAA tournament. 2018 finished positively when the team qualified for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked 25th overall.
2020s The decade started with a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Demon Deacons would only play one non-conference game, against Duke. The season was reduced to eight total conference games. The team finished ninth overall, one spot out of qualifying for the ACC Tournament. 2021 saw a return to a more normal schedule and the Demon Deacons posted a 16–6–0 record going 6–4–0 in ACC play. They won a tiebreaker to qualify for the ACC Tournament and received an at-large invite to the NCAA Tournament. Their 16 wins was their highest win total since 2011.
2022 saw a repeat trip to the NCAA Tournament after a 9–6–3 regular season finish. The Demon Deacons lost in the First Round for the first time since 2005. In 2023 the Demon Deacons finished 10–3–5 overall and 4–2–4 in ACC play. They qualified for the ACC tournament for the second time in three years, but broke a two-year streak of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
In 2024, Wake Forest reached their first College Cup final, but they lost to North Carolina 1–0.North Carolina wins the 2024 NCAA DI women's soccer championship on Ncaa.com
The Demon Deacons couldn't replicate their highs of 2024 again in 2025. However, they finished 11–5–4 overall and 4–3–3 in ACC play. They returned to the NCAA Tournament, and reached the Second Round.
Personnel
Roster
Team management Head coach Tony da Luz Associate Head Coach Brittany Cameron Assistant coach Taylor Culp
Source:
Seasons Season Conference Record Conference Tourn. Pos. Overall Record Honors Top pointsIn NCAA scoring, goals count as 2 points while assists count as one point. Top scorerGoals in all competitions (regular season, Conference, and NCAA Tournament) are counted. Conference Pld. W L D Pos. Pld. W L D Natl. Rank1994ACC60607thQF17890Cheryl Zimmerman15Cheryl Zimmerman71995ACC71607thQF21993Julie Scott21Julie Scott81996ACC7250t-6thSF22148020NCAA 2nd RoundLiz Burnette27Liz Burnette121997ACC71607thQF211182NCAA 1st RoundStefanie Mathews22Stefanie Mathews81998ACC74304thSF21137124NCAA 1st RoundAnne Shropshire32Anne Shropshire111999ACC7430t-3rdF23166112NCAA 3rd RoundJoline Charlton27Joline Charlton102000ACC7430t-2ndQF21118223NCAA 2nd RoundEmily Taggart24Emily Taggart92001ACC7340t-5thSF20992NCAA 1st RoundStacy Roeck20Stacy Roeck92002ACC7241t-7thQF221381NCAA 2nd RoundKatherine Winstead24Sarah Kozey/Katherine Winstead92003ACC71427thQF201073NCAA 1st RoundSarah Kozey/Elizabeth Remy17Sarah Kozey/Elizabeth Remy62004ACC9441t-5thQF191072NCAA 1st RoundSarah Kozey28Sarah Kozey122005ACC104607thQF19991NCAA 1st RoundElizabeth Remy25Sarah Kozey82006ACC106403rdSF23166119NCAA 2nd RoundElizabeth Remy23Elizabeth Remy92007ACC10622t-2ndSF23137320NCAA 2nd RoundJill Hutchinson22Jill Hutchinson102008ACC105506thQF21138025NCAA 2nd RoundJill Hutchinson27Jill Hutchinson102009ACC105325thQF2416628NCAA QuarterfinalistKaley Fountain/Jill Hutchinson32Jill Hutchinson142010ACC105415thW24138325NCAA 2nd RoundKatie Stengel37Katie Stengel162011ACC10523t-4thF2618444NCAA SemifinalistKatie Stengel46Katie Stengel192012ACC10631t-2ndSF23146315NCAA 2nd RoundKatie Stengel22Katie Stengel92013ACC135629th211272NCAA 3rd RoundRiley Ridgik26Riley Ridgik112014ACC10352t-8th17593Riley Ridgik12Riley Ridgik52015ACC10280t-12th195122Sarah Medina11Sarah Medina42016ACC1028011th181080Maddie Huster14Peyton Perea62017ACC10532t-5thQF221174NCAA 2nd RoundBayley Feist18Bayley Feist82018ACC10460t-9th2099225NCAA 3rd RoundBayley Feist18Bayley Feist7 2019 ACC 10 1 6 3 12th 18 6 8 4 Hudla Arnasdottir 18Hudla Arnasdottir 8 2020 ACC 8 3 4 1 9th 14 5 7 2 Sophie Faircloth 10 Sophie Faircloth 4 2021 ACC 10 6 4 0 7th SF 22 16 6 0 25 NCAA 2nd Round Shayla Smart 25 Shayla Smart 11 2022 ACC 10 3 6 1 9th 19 9 7 3 NCAA 1st Round Olivia Stowell 14 Olivia Stowell/Alex Wood 5 2023 ACC 10 4 2 4 6th QF 18 10 3 5 Caiya Hanks 16 Caiya Hanks/Emily Murphy 6 2024 ACC 10 7 2 1 t-2nd SF 24 16 4 4 2 NCAA Runner-Up Caiya Hanks 34 Caiya Hanks 11 2025 ACC 10 4 3 3 9th 20 11 5 4 NCAA 2nd Round Kylie Maxwell 17 Kylie Maxwell 6 Totals:25 Seasons 1 Conference 281 114 136 30 1 ACCT title 662 361 232 69 Katie Stengel 125 Katie Stengel 50
Awards ACC Coach of the Year:
Tony da Luz – 1998
ACC Offensive Player of the Year:
Katie Stengel – 2011
ACC Freshman of the Year:
Emily Taggart – 1998 Joline Charlton – 1999 Katie Stengel – 2010 Kylie Maxwell – 2025
NSCAA All-Americans Year Player(s) 2009 Kaley Fountain** 2010 Katie Stengel* 2011 Aubrey Bledsoe*, Katie Stengel 2012 Katie Stengel* 2024 Caiya Hanks, Emily Colton**, Zara Chavoshi*** 2025 Valentina Amaral**
(*) Denotes 2nd Team All-American (**) Denotes 3rd Team All-American (***) Denotes 4th Team All-American
All-ACC Players The players are all first team All-ACC, unless otherwise noted
Year Player(s) 1997 Stefanie Mathews* 1998 Stefanie Mathews*, Emily Taggart* 1999 Joline Charlton*, Erin Regan, Stacy Roeck*, Emily Taggart 2000 Joline Charlton, Stacy Roeck*, Emily Taggart 2001 Sarah Kate Noftsinger*, Stacy Roeck, Emily Taggart 2002 A.B. Robbins*, Katherine Winstead* 2003 Melanie Schneider*, Alena Thom* 2004 Alli Hunt*, Sarah Kozey* 2005 Sarah Kozey*, Melanie Schneider* 2006 Kristina Hanley*, Elizabeth Remy 2007 Kaley Fountain*, Jill Hutchinson, Allie Sadow*, Amy Smerdzinski* 2008 Kaley Fountain*, Amy Smerdzinski* 2009 Kaley Fountain, Jill Hutchinson 2010 Katie Stengel 2011 Aubrey Bledsoe, Caralee Keppler*, Katie Stengel 2012 Aubrey Bledsoe*, Katie Stengel 2013 Aubrey Bledsoe, Riley Ridgik*, Katie Stengel* 2016 Sarah Teegarden* 2017 Lindsay Preston*, Maddie Huster*, Bayley Feist**, Vicky Krug^ 2018 Bayley Feist*, Peyton Perea**, Giovanna DeMarco^ 2019 Madison Hammond* 2020 Hannah Betfort**, Sophie Faircloth^ 2021 Shayla Smart**, Nikayla Small^ 2022 Caiya Hanks^ 2023 Caiya Hanks*, Dempsey Brown^ 2024 Caiya Hanks, Zara Chavoshi*, Emily Colton*, Emily Murphy*, Valentina Amaral** 2025 Valentina Amaral**, Kylie Maxwell**, Allie Flanagan^, Kylie Maxwell^
(*) Denotes 2nd Team All-ACC (**) Denotes 3rd Team All-ACC (^) Denotes All-Freshman ACC Team
Players in the WPS Draft Year Player Round # Pick # Overall # Team 2010 Kaley Fountain 2nd 9 20 FC Gold Pride 2010 Jill Hutchinson 4th 1 30 Atlanta Beat 2010 Caitlin Farrell 7th 2 58 Philadelphia Independence 2011 Caitlin Farrell 2nd 3 11 Philadelphia Independence 2011 Bianca D'Agostino 3rd 6 18 Philadelphia Independence
Players in the NWSL Draft Year Player Round # Pick # Overall # Team 2013 Kristen Meier 3rd 7 23 Seattle Reign FC Jackie Logue 4th 6 30 Western New York Flash 2018 Ally Haran 3rd 5 25 Seattle Reign FC Maddie Huster 3rd 6 26 Washington Spirit 2019 Bayley Feist 2nd 8 17 Washington Spirit 2021 Hannah Betfort 4th 7 37 Portland Thorns FC 2022 Ryanne Brown 2nd 9 21 OL Reign Jenna Menta 3rd 4 30 Racing Louisville FC 2023 Giovanna DeMarco 4th 9 45 San Diego Wave FC
Notable alumni