The Wolfpack jumped on the board early, scoring in the fourth minute of the game. Neither team had managed to gain momentum in the opening minutes of play when sophomore midfielder Annika Schmidt maneuvered upfield through the Deacons' defense. Cutting and dribbling through the defensive line, Schmidt sprinted down the left side, finding open field ahead of her. Schmidt capitalized on the opportunity and crossed a pass into the box. In textbook fashion, senior forward Adrienne Barnes cut into the box and, anticipating the cross, headed the ball into the net just over the reach of senior goalkeeper Erin Regan.

"It's a huge mental lapse to ever give up a goal so early in the match," junior forward Katherine Winstead said, "so we were definitely frustrated and disappointed by it."

But the Deacons fought back, refusing to become frustrated by the early goal. Wake Forest continued to play its attacking style offense and to utilize its trademark "blue collar" work ethic. The exceptional Deacon defense shone throughout the half, allowing only three shots for the entire 45-minute period. The Deacons recorded five shots and saw their best scoring opportunity in the 9th minute when sophomore midfielder sent a beautiful cross into the box. Confusion resulted as both teams' collapsed in the penalty area, but before the Deacons could fire a shot, a handball was called on Winstead.

The Demon Deacons tied the game at the 56:16 when Winstead scored her eighth goal of the season. Senior defender Liz McDowell controlled the ball and passed it up field to Winstead.

Dominating the Wolfpack defenders, Winstead dribbled up the field, streaking past the last line of defense. Finding herself one-on-one with senior, goalkeeper Gretchen Leer, the Deacs' leading scorer did not loose composure.

"Generally, in one on one situations with the goalkeeper, there is a bit of pressure to score, and it can be nerve-wracking at times," Winstead said. "This goal happened so fast, though, that I didn't have time to really think about anything. Liz McDowell sent a great ball through, so for me, it was just a matter of getting a touch on the ball to knock it past the keeper. In a situation like that, you just hope for the best!"

As Lear came out of goal, the Deacon forward chipped the shot over the head of the goalkeeper and the shot rolled into the net.

Both teams had several more scoring opportunities in the second half, but neither the Deacs nor the Wolfpack could find the back of the net in regulation. The game continued into two, 10-minute overtimes, but the defense held strong. As the second overtime came to a close, the Deacons realized that the 10th win would not come on this Sunday afternoon.

"We looked sluggish out there, and perhaps we just didn't have the right mentality for the game," Winstead said. "There were a variety of factors, but the bottom line is that we didn't play anywhere close to as well as we should have. As a result, we tied an inferior team."