The N.C. State men’s soccer team stepped out of conference on Tuesday night and squared off against Liberty looking to end a nearly month-long winless streak that included three ties and three losses.
Junior forward Nick Surkamp and senior midfielder Alex Martinez both scored to give the Pack a 2-0 win against the Flames. With the win, the team improved its record to 5-4-4.
It was the Pack’s first victory since a 2-0 victory over Davidson in Raleigh on Sept. 24.
“I’m very pleased,” head coach Kelly Findley said. “It was a complete effort tonight.”
The Wolfpack set the tone for the game with aggressive play early on. The Pack threatened in the eighth minute when Martinez weaved his way through the Liberty defense and fed freshman midfielder Michael Bajza just outside the box. But Bajza’s shot sailed over the net to keep the game scoreless. A minute later, senior midfielder Danny DiPrima fired a shot from 15 yards but missed just wide.
“Liberty is a really physical team, and our goal was to contest that within our run of play,” Surkamp said. “I think we did a really good job of dealing with their physicality.”
The Pack broke the ice when a Liberty defender mishandled a long kick into the box by senior defender Ryan Metts. Surkamp was right there for his fifth goal of the season, beating Flames goalkeeper Jeremy Lee to put State on top 1-0 in the 20th minute.
“We were trying to pressure them early on, and I think we did a really good job of that,” Findley said.
State threatened again in the 34th minute as Martinez crossed the ball to freshman forward Davi Ramos, who got off a shot in front of the net in traffic, but the ball zipped wide of the net. State outshot Liberty six to three in the first half.
The second stanza started out with State applying similar pressure on the Flames’ defense. Martinez drove down the right side of the box but was denied a chance to double the lead by Lee. Minutes later, DiPrima blasted a shot from 20 yards out but Lee came up big again, denying the senior with a diving save. Lee, a freshman, recorded four saves on the night for Liberty.
State’s defense never allowed the Flames to get into an offensive rhythm. Senior goalkeeper Fabian Otte recorded one save, but that was largely due to the fact that Liberty took just four shots for the game.
“Our back four did a good job of handling the ball,” Findley said. “The best way to play defense is to not give up the ball.”
Martinez iced the game with 10 minutes left when he took a through-ball from DiPrima and sped into the box uncontested, leaving Lee with no chance as he found the back of the net to make it 2-0. It was the senior’s second tally of the season.
The Wolfpack returns to action on Friday when they host ACC foe Virginia Tech. Kickoff at Dail Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
