In a very exciting game at Dail Soccer Stadium Sunday afternoon, the NC State women’s soccer team defeated Pittsburgh 6-0 in its second ACC game.
The Wolfpack (8-2-1) dominated possession throughout the game with the Panthers (4-5-1) only creating chances on the counterattack. In the end, possession won out as the Wolfpack recorded its first ACC win of the season.
“Anytime you get a win in the ACC it’s a big deal,” head coach Tim Santoro said. “It was important that we bounced back from the other night.”
The Wolfpack wasted no time establishing itself in the game. The team looked dangerous in the final third during the opening minutes, and pressed effectively when it lost the ball. Despite the abundance of possession and chances, the team lacked decisiveness in the penalty box and did not test the Panther’s keeper early on.
With the Wolfpack dominating the possession, the majority of the Panthers’ attacks came from counterattacks. The Panthers created a few very good shooting opportunities from these counterattacks, but senior goalkeeper Sydney Wootten was up to the challenge.
It took until the 23rd minute for the Wolfpack to capitalize on its chances. Junior midfielder Ricci Walkling curled the ball into the bottom right corner following some great hold up play and a fantastic lay off by senior forward Maxine Blackwood.
“Ricci I believe is as good as any midfielder in the ACC,” Santoro said. “She changed the game for us and it’s not because of her goals and assists. It’s just because of who she is as a player.”
The Wolfpack continued to press for a second goal in the first half, keeping Pittsburgh keeper Katherine Robinson very busy. After a five-minute spell of consistent pressure, the Wolfpack broke through for a second time.
This time Walkling played the role of provider as she dribbled through four players and cut the ball back to the edge of the penalty box, where senior defender Hannah Keogh placed it into the top right corner.
“It was my first goal of my career so that was really fun,” Keogh said. “I’ve only ever scored (penalty kicks) before so that was awesome to finally get that in my senior season.”
At the half, the Wolfpack led 2-0, but the game easily could have been closer if it wasn’t for a pair of very good saves from Wootten.
“We didn’t defend really well the first half,” Walkling said. “It was the first game where we really could score a lot of goals.”
It didn’t take long for the Wolfpack to put the game out of reach in the second half, with freshman midfielder Anna Toohey finding the back of the net just six minutes into the half. Keogh, much like Walkling, went from scorer to provider, as Toohey latched onto the end of a Keogh free kick for the Wolfpack’s third goal.
“We rarely score off of set pieces,” Keogh said. “I was so excited when she scored that.”
Just three minutes later the pack found itself in position to net a fourth with Toohey being fouled in the penalty box, giving the Pack a penalty. Walkling stepped up to the spot and slid it past the keeper for her second goal of the game.
Following the convincing first half performance, the Wolfpack took its game to another level in the second half. The team was even more dominant in possession, allowing less freedom for the Panthers to counterattack.
The Pack added a fifth and a sixth goal through junior midfielder Michaella van Maanen. The goals were nearly identical with van Maanen finding the top left corner from outside the penalty box on both occasions.
“This was the first game where we really opened up and we put a lot of goals in the back of the net,” Keogh said. “That just builds confidence and momentum going forward.”
The Wolfpack will look to carry that momentum into its next game against Duke at Dail Soccer Stadium on Thursday.
