The NC State men’s soccer team is set to face off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in Winston-Salem, following a heartbreaking loss last week to Duke in double-overtime.
At first glance, this is not a favorable matchup for the Pack as its history against the Demon Deacons is not one to boast. Coming in at 1-15-3 all time against Wake Forest, NC State will have to rewrite history to come home with a win.
Where the Pack can find hope, however, is in the fact that the one win against Wake Forest occured on a weekend in October at Method Road back in 2005. It may seem like a stretch to draw a correlation between that game and the one approaching this weekend, but a stretch is exactly what NC State will need to come out with a plus one in the win column.
The first regular-season game for the Pack gave its fans a glimpse of what this team is capable of despite the loss in an unfortunate turn of events for NC State. The team was able to outshoot Duke 9-6 in total, with each team having one shot on goal.
Despite valiant efforts from freshman forward Pau Palacin with NC State’s only shot on target and sophomore defender Pablo Pedregosa, who sent a header just over the crossbar in the 75th minute, the Pack could not get it done.
Along with optimistic flashes from NC State’s offense, redshirt junior goalkeeper Leon Krapf was able to keep the game scoreless for 109:26 before eventually conceding what would be the game-winner. While Duke’s attack did not put too much pressure on Krapf, with only one shot on target, the keeper stood strong between the posts, proving to be a positive takeaway for the Pack.
The Demon Deacons are coming off of a 3-1 victory against Louisville, where Wake Forest outshot its opponent 12-5. The offense frenzy was spearheaded by sophomore forward Calvin Harris, who posted a goal and an assist in the first half. Harris was also named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his special outing against the Cardinals.
While both teams outshot their opponent and showed glimpses of brilliance in the offensive third, Wake Forest seems to be the more clinical team coming into this contest. For NC State to come out of this game with a win, it will require finishing on opportunities such as the ones missed by Pau Palacin and Pablo Pedregosa last game. Wake Forest, however, will hope to continue their five-game win streak against the Pack in what is sure to be a fun game to watch.
The game will kickoff at 7 p.m. at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem on Saturday, Oct. 3. Catch the game live on ACC Network Extra or on Watch ESPN.
