The No. 23 NC State men’s soccer team hits the road Monday night to take on No. 4 Akron before a home match against Presbyterian on Friday.
The Pack (1-0-0) won the first game of the season, 3-1, against USC Upstate. Freshman forward Ivy Brisma, sophomore midfielder Brad Sweeney and junior forward Tyler Gabarra found the back of the net to power the Wolfpack.
Akron tied against No. 9 Butler, 2-2, in its season opener. David Egbo scored both goals for the Zips.
The Zips are coming off a year where they won the Mid-American Conference championship, advanced to the College Cup semifinals and finished 18-4-2.
Even though the ACC is arguably the toughest soccer conference in the country, a road trip to Akron will not only be the toughest non-conference test all year, but will also undoubtedly be one of the best opportunities for the Pack to pad its NCAA tournament resume.
NC State returns home to face Presbyterian on Friday night at Dail Soccer Field. The Blue Hose lost to UNCG 1-0 in its first game of the year. Last season, Presbyterian lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to UNC-Wilmington.
This week will be a great measuring stick for second-year coach George Kiefer to see how his team compares to a likely national title contender and another team that could make the tournament. The Pack has lots of talented youth and lots of optimism surrounding the program and there will be plenty to learn about the team after this week. NC State may not face a tougher week all year, and this is exactly the kind of week that the Wolfpack would see in the NCAA tournament.
The Pack and Zips kick off at 7 p.m. at FirstEnergy Stadium — Cub Cadet Field in Akron, Ohio on Monday night. NC State and Presbyterian will start at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Field on Friday.
