No. 13 Wake Forest defeats No. 1 Stanford in women’s soccer upset

No. 13 Wake Forest made history Thursday night, upsetting No. 1 Stanford 1-0 at Spry Stadium. The Demon Deacons secured their first win over a top-ranked opponent in program history, handing Stanford its first loss of the season.

📊 MORE: Wake Forest vs. Stanford Stats 

The lone goal came in the 30th minute when Emily Colton found the back of the net with a shot to the top corner. Caiya Hanks and Kristin Johnson provided assists on the play, giving Wake Forest the advantage they would hold for the remainder of the match.

Stanford goalkeeper Haley Craig recorded a career-high five saves, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Demon Deacons’ determined attack. The Cardinal, who had been unbeaten in their last 44 of 45 matches, struggled to generate offense throughout the contest.

HISTORY. MADE. #GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/WA243tWvlW

— Wake Women’s Soccer (@WakeWSoccer) September 20, 2024

Wake Forest held firm defensively, with goalkeeper Valentina Amaral making four saves to preserve the clean sheet. The Demon Deacons kept Stanford’s offense—led by Andrea Kitahata, who had a team-high three shots—off the scoreboard.

The victory improves Wake Forest’s record to 7-2-1 (2-1-0 ACC), while Stanford falls to 8-1-0 (0-1-0 ACC). Wake Forest dominated the match with 14 total shots, six of which were on target, compared to Stanford’s 11 shots, only four of which were on frame.

👀 MORE: DI women’s soccer rankings

Wake Forest’s strong home form continues, extending their unbeaten streak at Spry Stadium to 13 games. The No. 13 Demon Deacons look to continue their strong start to ACC play with a home match against California on Sunday, while Stanford looks to regroup at NC State.