In a high-scoring affair Thursday night, the Wolfpack women’s soccer team topped the High Point Panthers 4-2 at Dail Soccer Stadium in Raleigh.

Led by a high-powered offense, the Wolfpack took the lead late in the second half against the previously undefeated High Point team and added one more goal in the second half enroute to a decisive victory. NC State improved to 3-2-0 and High Point fell to 3-1-0.

“I think we’re always going to be able to score goals and produce chances,” Wolfpack head coach Tim Santoro said. “Four goals goals and a win, you never complain.”

NC State’s starting lineup was again freshman-heavy, as five first-year players started the match for the Wolfpack and combined for two goals and three assists.

“They want to win,” redshirt junior forward Jackie Stengel said of the freshman group. “And we’ve been waiting for about three to fours years now to do that and it’s finally starting and it feels great.”

It didn’t take long for NC State to get on the board, as a 3rd minute corner kick by freshman Richarda Walking led to a score by Stengel, putting the Wolfpack up 1-0 over the Panthers. Stengel upped her goal total to four on the season.

High Point tied the match up in the 13th minute on a short left-side cross by Michele Micciche to Kelsey Perrell to make the score 1-1.

With the score tied 1-1, the Wolfpack struck again. Freshman Kristina Schuster sent a cross from the right side to junior Cailyn Boch, who put it away for her first goal of the season. The goal put the Wolfpack up 2-1 against the Panthers.

The lead lasted a mere 50 seconds, as a Wolfpack foul inside the box sent High Point’s Bailey Beattie to the penalty mark. Beattie sent a goal to the corner of the net past the outstretched arms of Wolfpack goalkeeper Sydney Wooten, tying the match at two goals apiece.

With just under two minutes in the first half remaining, NC State freshman Tziarra King slipped a pass from deep inside the box to freshman Michaella van Maanen, who tapped in the goal from two yards out for her second goal of the season.

NC State kept the pressure on in the first half, as the Wolfpack outshot the Panthers 11-5 and garnered three corner kicks to High Point’s zero.

Walking scored again for the Pack on an unassisted goal, as she scored on a free kick from the right side, extending NC State’s lead, 4-2.

The Wolfpack threatened again in the 59th minute when freshman forward Kia Rankin shot from distance but hit the crossbar.

The score remained stagnant as both teams threatened multiple times but failed to score. The Wolfpack came away with the victory, 4-2.

NC State outshot their opponent considerably for the second game in a row, as the Panthers produced eight shots to the Wolfpack’s 19.

With a mix of experience and young talent, the Wolfpack seem primed for conference play to start in two weeks.

“They’re adjusting,” Santoro said of the first-year players. “The physicality of the game, the speed of the game is still something the young kids have to sort out, but we have four more non-conference games before we play Carolina. We have a lot of good pieces, we just have to grow up fast.”

The Wolfpack will look to keep the momentum going when they face UNC-Wilmington Sunday at 1 p.m..