On a rainy night in Palo Alto, California, the NC State women’s soccer team fell, 3-0, to Santa Clara in the third round of the NCAA Championship as its historic season and tournament run came to an end.
An early penalty kick and two late goals pushed the Broncos past the injury-riddled Wolfpack to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Sophomores Kia Rankin and junior Cailyn Boch were both absent from the lineup as they dealt with injuries.
A fast-paced start to the match seemed to favor NC State, as the Wolfpack held a considerable advantage in both possession and shots. However, Santa Clara was able to get on the scoreboard first.
A handball by sophomore Ella Bonner in the 21st minute allowed a penalty kick by the Broncos. The ball was crossed into the Wolfpack box and took a bounce into Bonner’s hand as she attempted to play it off her chest. Jordan Jesolva took the penalty for Santa Clara and ripped it past sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Wootten to put the Broncos up 1-0.
The Wolfpack was unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities in the first period of play. The team also outshot the Broncos 9-5 in the first half but still trailed 1-0 going into halftime.
The Wolfpack launched a bevy of shots to begin the second half as it managed to dominate possession and outshoot the Broncos. Despite the advantage, the team was not able to connect on any scoring chances.
Freshman Tziarra King broke away for an excellent chance at an equalizer, but sent it off the left post as Santa Clara preserved its one-goal lead.
In the 72nd minute, Wootten and a Santa Clara player collided while going for a loose ball. Wootten was down for several minutes but eventually returned to play.
The Broncos extended their lead in the 80th minute when Julie Vass was left alone in the NC State box and placed a shot in the upper 90 past Wootten to push the score to 2-0 in favor of Santa Clara.
A questionable goal in the 84th minute increased the Bronco lead to 3-0. A shot from Santa Clara appeared to be deflected by Wootten before crossing the line, but was ruled a goal after a considerable delay as the referee determined that the ball crossed the plane.
The score held at 3-0 for the remainder of the match as Santa Clara will now face Georgetown in the quarterfinals.
The Wolfpack’s season ends with an impressive 11-9-2 overall record and a 4-5-1 conference record as the program made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in over 20 years while trotting out a starting lineup consisting of mostly underclassmen.
The Pack will return most of its starting lineup next year as head coach Tim Santoro enters his fifth season with the program. The team loses both Rachel Cox and Gladys Loyas to graduation, but will look to build upon its breakout season in 2017.
