Wake Forest Poised for Thursday Night Battle With No. 7 Duke

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In a showdown of two Big Four programs, the Wake Forest women’s soccer team will travel to face seventh-ranked Duke Thursday night at Koskinen Stadium.
 
Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcasted on ACC Network Extra.
 
The Matchup

• Following a 2-0 victory over Syracuse, Wake Forest will hit the road to face Duke Thursday.
• After missing the past nine matches due to injury, Sophie Faircloth returned to action Sunday against Syracuse, logging 23 minutes for the Demon Deacons.
• Zara Chavoshi also saw action Sunday after missing two consecutive matches.
• Duke will look to bounce back after falling to No. 2 Virginia in its last contest.
• Duke has lost three of its last four home matches.
• Wake Forest is currently 32nd in the RPI rankings, while Duke is eighth.

 
Last Time Out

• Wake Forest defeated ACC foe Syracuse, 2-0, Sunday at Spry Stadium.
• The two sides were engaged in a defensive battle for most of the match until Allie Schmidt found Liv Stowell breaking down the pitch in the 55th minute. Stowell then fired a shot that was saved by the Syracuse goalkeeper; however, the ball ended up in Emily Morris’ possession.
• Morris then blasted a shot from about 14-yards out into the net for her fourth goal of the season.
• Wake Forest stayed on the attack over the ensuing nine minutes and extended its lead to 2-0 as Kristin Johnson orchestrated a give-and-go with Giovanna DeMarco, resulting in a Demon Deacon goal.
• Despite relentless attacking pressure from Syracuse over the following 26 minutes, Wake Forest held on to earn the 2-0 victory.
• The Demon Deacons logged their eighth clean sheet of the season while holding Syracuse to only seven shots. Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks earned her 20th-career shutout in-goal for Wake Forest.

 
Scouting the Blue Devils

• Duke is currently ranked No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
• Duke is 8-3 this season with its three losses coming to UCLA, North Carolina and Virginia.
• Of note, each of Duke’s losses came to teams that were ranked No. 2 nationally at the time.
• The Blue Devils have recorded five clean sheets this season.
• Duke is led by Michelle Cooper who has scored nine goals this year, while accumulating 23 points.
• Duke’s Ruthie Jones has tallied 17 saves this season in-goal for the Blue Devils.

 
Series History

• Wake Forest…