Stanford, California – No. 6 Stanford defeated No. 3 Wake Forest 2-0 on Sunday afternoon at Cagan Stadium, marking a significant victory for the Cardinal after two consecutive losses. With this win, Stanford improved its overall record to 7-2-1 and 1-2-0 in the ACC, while Wake Forest suffered its first defeat of the season, dropping to 9-1-0 and 2-1-0 in conference play.

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The match was closely contested, remaining scoreless during the first half. Stanford held a slim 5-1 advantage in shots by halftime and finished the game with a total shot count of 14-4. The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when freshman Peyton Marinos scored, receiving a precise pass from Bella Winn before slotting home her second career goal.

In the final moments of the match, Wake Forest almost equalized after a misstep from Stanford’s defense. With the Cardinal leading 1-0, a back pass to goalkeeper Caroline Birkel was intercepted by Kylie Maxwell. However, junior Lizzie Boamah managed to chase down Maxwell and prevent a goal by pushing the ball out for a corner kick.

As the clock wound down, Wake Forest's Valentina Amaral moved into the offensive zone for the corner. Following the play, Stanford regained possession, and Charlotte Kohler capitalized on the situation, scoring her team-leading seventh goal of the season into an open net with just 13 seconds remaining.

Amaral recorded two saves for Wake Forest, whereas Birkel made one save on the Demon Deacons’ sole shot on target. Stanford aims to build on this momentum as they prepare for an upcoming match against SMU on Friday, September 25.

MATCH NOTES:

Stanford had not previously won against Wake Forest in five all-time encounters, with a record of 0-4-1.

In their first nine matches of the season, Wake Forest conceded only two goals.

Stanford has a strong record of 74-10-11 in its last 95 matches, achieving clean sheets in 48 of the last 91 games, including seven of the first ten this season. They have outscored opponents 91-25 over their last 27 matches and are 3-1-0 against ranked foes this season.

At Cagan Stadium since 2014, the Cardinal boasts a record of 139-8-11.

This win marked Stanford’s first victory over a top-five team since they defeated No. 1 Virginia 2-1 on October 12, 2025.

Kohler has scored in seven of the ten matches this season and has contributed to 11 of Stanford’s 27 goals.