On the evening of Oct. 3, No. 4 Wake Forest (9-2-2, 4-1-1 ACC) brought the energy against reigning national champion No. 6 Florida State (7-1-2, 2-1-1), dominating the match with a statement 4-1 victory.
Wake Forest currently holds second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) standings with four regular season contests left on the schedule.
A well-placed ball from senior midfielder Nikayla Small set up a one-on-one run out for Emily Murphy in the 24th minute. Murphy made a quick move and threaded the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, giving the Demon Deacons a 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, senior midfielder Emily Morris blew by a Seminole defender with a sharp cut to the right on the edge of the box. She took a few steps and kicked a rocket which curved into the top right corner of the goal, doubling the lead. Senior defender Kristin Johnson recorded the assist.
Murphy nearly scored her second goal in the 38th minute. Her shot bounced to senior midfielder Anna Swanson, who collided with a Seminole defender and pushed an attempt wide to the left.
Just fifteen seconds into the second half, the Seminoles got onto the board. Forward Kameron Simmonds jumped to catch her own header, squeezing the ball into the net from a few feet out.
Emotions flared in the 51st minute, leading to a brief timeout after some pushing and shoving near the Wake Forest bench. No penalty cards were assessed to either team.
The Demon Deacons regained their two-goal advantage in the 56th-minute. Junior forward Caiya Hanks outran her defender into the box. Murphy delivered a precise pass to Hanks, who scored with a defender all over her. Hanks leads the Demon Deacons with six goals and 17 total points on the season.
In the 64th minute, Small made the score 4-1 with a spectacular goal. She took two dribbles to her left and fired an off-balance shot into the back of the net.
Fans erupted in the 84th minute when freshman goalie Valentina Amaral stopped a Florida State free kick. Amaral has only allowed four goals in over 765 minutes of action.
The backline of seniors Zara Chavoshi, Laurel Ansbrow, Kristin Johnson and sophomore Sierra Sythe played the entire 90 minutes and held the Seminoles to just three shots on goal.
Wake Forest wore pink jerseys, which were auctioned off to support the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Cancer Health Equity Patient Care Fund.
The Demon Deacons are unbeaten in 15 consecutive home contests, breaking the record for the longest streak in program history set in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. They have two weeks off before heading to Dallas to face Southern Methodist University (6-4-2, 2-1-2 ACC) on Oct. 19 at 7:00 p.m.
