The NC State men’s soccer team defeated the Liberty Flames 3-1 at Dail Soccer Stadium Tuesday night in Raleigh.
With all three goals coming in the second half, NC State ended its four-game losing streak and three-game scoring drought. The Wolfpack improves to 2-5-0 and the Flames fall to 3-3-1.
“We played well,” head coach Kelly Findley said. “We wanted to win, the guys moved the ball well. Good team performance.”
The match started off quietly as the first 30 minutes of action saw just two shots in total from either team, both from NC State.
The Wolfpack managed six more shots before the end of the half but the game remained in a stalemate. Liberty did not manage to get a shot off during the first half of play.
A shot by sophomore forward Clayton Sparks in the 42nd minute nearly put the Wolfpack on top. A cross from junior defender Caleb Duvernay from 40 yards out set up Sparks in front of goal, but the shot was deflected by Liberty goalkeeper James Knoebel.
Despite offensive pressure from the Wolfpack toward the end of the first half, the game remained scoreless going into halftime
NC State continued its offensive attack early in the second half. The Wolfpack recorded four shots and two corner kicks in the first ten minutes with three of those shots coming within the span of just over a minute.
The Wolfpack finally broke through in the 63rd minute when sophomore forward Tanner Roberts received a cross from senior forward Travis Wannamuehler and put it past the Liberty goalkeeper Knoebel. The goal marked Roberts’ first of the season and gave NC State a 1-0 lead over the Flames.
“I was at the right place at the right time,” Roberts said. “It was great to have momentum.”
The Flames got on the board in the 67th minute with a goal from Kevin Mendoza after a failed clearance from NC State. Mendoza ripped it past senior Wolfpack goalkeeper Alex McCauley from deep inside the box to tie the match 1-1.
The Wolfpack countered shortly after with a score of its own. In the 70th minute, Duvernay sent a left side cross that found Sparks in the box who settled it and promptly shot the ball into the back of the net to put NC State back on top 2-1.
NC State struck one more time in the 78th minute when sophomore midfielder Julius Duchscherer powered one past the keeper for his second goal of the year, increasing the Wolfpack lead to 3-1. The score was set up by redshirt sophomore Nick Retzlaff, who was credited with the assist.
The 3-1 score held for the rest of the match with minimal threats from the Flames.
The Wolfpack outshot Liberty an astounding 23-5 on the night and also tallied seven corner kicks.
“I was proud of the guys,” Findley said. “It always feels good to win whether you’re 10-0 or 1-5… it helps you grow in confidence and it’s good boost going into Wake Forest.”
NC State will travel to Winston-Salem to take on No. 14 Wake Forest Saturday.
