![Senior forward Tanner Roberts[BW1]  fights for the ball with a James Madison defender during the soccer match on Tuesday, Oct. 2 in Dail Soccer Stadium. The No. 17 Wolfpack tied with the Dukes 0-0.](https://technicianonline.com.temp.snosites.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/7b4aa4adcaa71582927965b2c473e16f.jpg)
The NC State men’s soccer team is set to host Campbell on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack (9-6-3) made the tournament last year for the first time in eight years, where it lost to Old Dominion on the road in the first round.
This year the team will play Big South Champion Campbell (9-8-3) in the first round. The Camels failed to qualify for the tournament last year, but qualified this year with their win over Presbyterian in the Big South Championship.
For the Wolfpack faithful, the fact that the game is at home is a welcome sight, as Dail Soccer Stadium has become a fortress for the Pack this season. The team is undefeated this season at home, with a record of 7-0-3, which included a historic 1-0 win over UNC-Chapel Hill.
The keys for the Wolfpack to win this game are very simple. The team needs to dominate the midfield, as it has all season. With standout players like sophomores Brad Sweeney and David Loera running things in the middle of the park, the team will look for its midfielders to not only transition the team into attack, but also contribute to the attack greatly.
One of the struggles for the Wolfpack this season has been a lack of scoring coming from the forward line. The two main players leading the line for the Wolfpack this season have been Aidan Foster and Tanner Roberts, who have scored two goals apiece, with the midfield trio of Sweeney, Loera and Gabriel Machado scoring three, four, and four respectively.
If the Wolfpack is able to get the forwards scoring, there is no telling how far the team can go in the tournament.
Even when the Wolfpack has been struggling to score, it has been able to stay in difficult games with a very well-structured defensive unit. The defense has conceded 21 goals this season, averaging 1.17 goals per game.
If the team continues to dominate the midfield as it has this season, it should have no problem beating Campbell and advancing to the next round. However, if the Pack wants to go far in the tournament, the forwards are going to need to start to find the back of the net on a more consistent basis.
