
In a tightly contested battle, the No. 19-ranked Wake Forest women’s soccer team (9-1-2, 3-0-1 ACC) remained unbeaten in ACC play and defeated the No. 9-ranked Duke Blue Devils (6-3-1, 1-3-0 ACC) Thursday night at Koskinen Stadium.
Wake Forest with the Top-10 win 🔥
No. 19 @WakeWSoccer defeats No. 9 Duke, 3-2!#NCAASoccer pic.twitter.com/1NuVxyEHoz
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) September 26, 2025
Bolstering an already incredible rookie year, freshman Kylie Maxwell put the Deacs on the board in the 21st minute with a feed from senior Carly Wilson. In just her third game back from injury, senior Alex Wood notched a secondary assist on Maxwell’s strike, marking the first of the season for both Wood and Wilson. The Demon Deacons headed into the locker room leading at halftime; however, the Blue Devils would have a response in the second half to take the lead.
Lots to love about last night 🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/KzFJV2MQby
— Wake Women's Soccer (@WakeWSoccer) September 26, 2025
Wake Forest found their way back into the game in the later stages of the half and would find an immediate answer to counter the Duke attack. In the 69th minute, redshirt-sophomore Sierra Sythe crossed a fantastic ball that found senior Alex Wood open in front of the net to tap in and tie the contest at 2-2. Just four minutes later, Sythe once again went cross-zone to find freshman Kylie Maxwell, who sent the ball to senior Hannah Johnson to head in for the lead.
69' | Woody with the equalizer!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lkRCcHyT38
— Wake Women's Soccer (@WakeWSoccer) September 26, 2025
With Maxwell and Sythe’s assists on the game-winning goal, they both reached prestigious milestones in Wake Forest women’s soccer history. Now with five total assists this season, Maxwell is tied for fifth among freshmen in program history for most assists in a single season. Meanwhile, Sythe brought her season assist total to eight and is now tied for sixth in program history for single season assists. Two assists in the contest also marked a career-high for the Long Beach, Calif.-native.
Tic-tac-toe ✖️⭕️ https://t.co/S7libiC3Qh pic.twitter.com/fDKfkJ9dTP
— Wake Women's Soccer (@WakeWSoccer) September 26, 2025
The victory over the Blue Devils marks the third all-time win at Koskinen Stadium. Their first and only other regular-season road victory in the series was on Sept. 23, 2010. In 2021, Wake Forest defeated Duke in the first round of the ACC Championship to log their second all-time win in Durham. With 10 points in ACC play, Wake Forest sits tied atop the conference table with Florida State. Additionally, this marks the Deacs’ best start to a conference campaign since 2011.
Top-10 W 😤 pic.twitter.com/rUIQ7MPOjV
— Wake Women's Soccer (@WakeWSoccer) September 26, 2025
From Coach da Luz
“This win tonight is great for our resume. Beating Duke in Durham is an especially difficult thing to do. They are a quality team, and our kids executed the game plan to perfection. The goals we scored were high quality and our team defended with commitment to close out the win. I am incredibly proud of our entire team and staff. I have the best staff in the country and a hungry team. Go Deacs!”
Fifth of the year 🔥 https://t.co/gBsNC8sIPu pic.twitter.com/wAquJAEFMn
— Wake Women's Soccer (@WakeWSoccer) September 25, 2025
Up Next
The Demon Deacons will head back down Tobacco Road for their final Big Four contest of the regular season against the NC State Wolfpack on Thursday, Oct. 2 at Dail Soccer Field. The contest will be streamed nationally on ACCN with kickoff at 7 pm.