Preview: Maryland women’s soccer searches for second win of season against Wake Forest

Following its first victory of the season against George Mason on Sunday, Maryland women’s soccer (1-0-4) gears up for a contest against Wake Forest (5-0-1) on Thursday.

Unlike in their previous four matches, the Terps secured their first victory against the Patriots their last time out. 

Senior forward Alina Stahl got the scoring started in the 15th minute as she snuck a shot into the bottom right of the goal, and a goal from midfielder Sofi Vinas in the 37th minute gave the Terps a two-goal cushion before halftime. Forward Alyssa Poarch added the final nail in the coffin blow to the Patriots with a score in the 89th minute, clinching the 3-0 win.

“I feel like to get [the] monkey off the back and get the win going, more importantly the win for the team, [is great],” rookie head coach Meghan Ryan Nemzer said.

However, the road for Maryland does not get any easier on Thursday, as the Terps take on the undefeated Demon Deacons. The Demon Deacons last played against Oakland, shutting out the Golden Grizzlies 1-0. Furthermore, Wake Forest has faced off against difficult competition, as the Demon Deacons tied versus No. 14 Auburn on August 28th.

In their last time out, the Demon Deacons and the Golden Grizzlies were stuck in a 0-0 defensive battle until the 78th minute, when forward Liv Stowell fired a shot past the Oakland goalkeeper towards the far post, notching the first, and only, goal of the match.

Wake Forest is a historically strong program, as the Demon Deacons won sixteen games in and made the NCAA tournament in 2021. Head Coach Tony da Luz has manned the ship for 25 years, and has turned the Demon Deacons into consistent contenders in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Backed by its strong defense, Wake Forest is allowing a miniscule 0.17 goals per game. In addition, the Demon Deacons are not giving opponents a lot of chances to get a shot on goal, as they have allowed just 37 shots on the season.

Even when opponents get to the goal, the Demon Deacons have a dominant goalkeeper in net. Junior Kaitlyn Parks, a Maryland native, has given up only one goal in her six appearances. 

Maryland’s defenders will need to prevent the Demon Deacons from early scoring opportunities to avoid falling in an early deficit. Alex Wood, a freshman forward, has seven points and three goals this season for Wake Forest, both tied for the team lead with Stowell.

Stahl has been extremely impressive early on for the Terps, as she currently holds the team lead with eight points and three goals. The All-Big 12 transfer from West Virginia has injected life into the program, and provided Nezmer with experience.

Other transfers have been pivotal as well, as the next two Terps in points have both come from other programs. Vinas, a senior transfer from Oregon, has been a steady force. Junior midfielder Juliana Lynch, another transfer from West Virginia, has played at least 80 minutes in four of the Terps’ five matches.

Maryland enters off an admirable win against George Mason. The Terps remain at home against the Demon Deacons, the third match of their five-match homestand.

The match on Thursday will start at 7 p.m. and will take place at Ludwig Field in College Park.