Under then-first-year head coach George Kiefer, the 2017 NC State men’s soccer team did what no Wolfpack squad had done since 2009: make the NCAA Tournament.

Now the Pack hits the field again this Friday to kick off its 2018 campaign, stronger than last year and looking to have its best season since longtime head coach George Tarantini was in charge.

NC State returns all but two of its normal starters, 17 of its 22 goals scored and brings in a 12-man recruiting class that is ranked the 13th-best in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer. The Wolfpack finished the year 8-6-4 (3-3-2 ACC), falling to Old Dominion in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after finishing eighth in the deep and talented ACC.

With the only significant losses from that team being in defender Caleb Duvernay and midfielder Julius Duchscherer, both starters, NC State is poised to build on its strong first season under Kiefer this year, especially considering the familiarity of the players and Kiefer.

“We were able to work on some specific stuff that [Kiefer] introduced us to in year one,” senior defender and captain Simon Blotko said. “We have the feeling that we are a couple of steps ahead of last year, and I think that will help us in the season that we can focus on some other things.”

Returning for the Pack is a plethora of both younger and older talent, led by sophomore forward Manny Perez who broke onto the scene with a bang last year. Perez tallied five goals and four assists in his first season, and has garnered second-team honors on Top Drawer Soccer’s Best XI team this preseason.

Perez wasn’t the only impressive freshman last year that should continue to build in the coming season. Sophomore goalkeeper Leon Krapf posted seven shutouts and allowed just over one goal per game last year. Sophomore midfielder David Loera led the Pack with five assists in 2017, and sophomore defender David Norris and midfielder Brad Sweeney also played significant minutes for NC State last year.

There are older players who bring experience and leadership to the Pack as well. Blotko has bolstered the Pack back line for three years, and worn the captain’s armband for the last two, and should continue to be a vital piece of the team.

Redshirt senior forward Ade Taiwo, senior defender Christoph Schneuwly, senior forwards Cjay Sparks and Tanner Roberts, and redshirt senior midfielder Nick Retzlaff all also played significant minutes and will return this season.

“We have so many guys returning who played a lot of minutes, so it’s very similar,” Kiefer said.

While the returners will carry the load, there are also some new names to watch. With a huge and loaded freshman class, led by midfielder AJ Seals, defender James Orozco and midfielder Aidan Foster, all members of the Boys IMG Academy Top 150 rankings.

Another newcomer that should play a role for the Pack is junior midfielder Gabriel Machado, a junior college transfer who scored 16 goals and assisted 12 more in just 15 games last season. Forward Ivy Brisma and defender Pepe Garcia are also names to watch out for, according to Kiefer.

The talent and experience is there for the Pack, but the schedule will do NC State no favors, as is always the case in the ACC. NC State has four games against teams ranked in the preseason top 10, beginning in game two on the road at Akron next week.

The Pack starts play on Friday at home against USC Upstate, and according to Kiefer has something to prove. While things are trending in the right direction for the Wolfpack, NC State still isn’t getting the respect it deserves according to the second-year head coach, and that is something that motivates his team.

“They’re hungry. They still understand that teams look forward to playing them. They still understand that NC State does not get respected,” Kiefer said. “If you’re a group of guys and there’s a lot of disrespect thrown upon you, I think that has a lot of motivation.”