In Miami’s opening game of the ACC women’s soccer season, the Hurricanes were defeated by the No. 17 Wake Forest Demon Deacons by a score of 3-1 on Wednesday night in Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest (6-1-1) struck twice in the opening five minutes, with midfielder Lola Ressler scoring just 66 seconds into the match before adding her second goal moments later. The Hurricanes (5-2-1) had emphasized limiting Wake’s dynamic flank play in the buildup, but Ressler’s early brace put Miami on the back foot from the start.
Despite the early deficit, the ’Canes worked to settle into its game plan of exploiting space through the middle, where Wake Forest’s double pivot can sometimes leave openings.
Midfielders Eabha O’Mahony and Ciara Alarcon pushed forward to connect with Teegan Melenhorst and Brie Severns, but the Hurricanes struggled to generate clean looks against an organized Deacons defense and standout goalkeeper Valentina Amaral, who was quick to cut out crosses and command her area.
During the 63rd minute, UM was almost able to shift momentum when forward Cisel Akgul scored a goal that appeared to cut the deficit in half. However, the goal was overturned in minutes after a video review ruled it offside. Three minutes later, the Demon Deacons punished Miami on the other end, as forward Allie Flanagan scored a close-range goal to put the game virtually out of reach at 3-0.
The Hurricanes didn’t give up and continued to fight, finding a breakthrough in the 73rd minute.
Freshman Noelle Simmons pounced on a rebound and scored her second goal of the season, offering the ’Canes some type of life late in the match. However, the early deficit Miami faced from the two early goals proved too challenging, and Wake Forest managed to secure a 3-1 victory.
Miami will return to Cobb Stadium Sunday to host the Duke Blue Devils, with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.