The No. 16 Virginia Tech Hokies scored two goals during both halves to beat N.C. State 4-1 in Raleigh on Thursday night.
Freshman forward Jackie Stengel, a breakout performer for the Wolfpack, scored N.C. State’s only goal.
“She’s our best player,” head coach Tim Santoro said. “We just have to get a little more around her, and we’ll be a better team.”
Virginia Tech (8-1, 3-1 ACC) outshot the Wolfpack (6-4, 1-3 ACC) 16-7 during the course of the game. The Hookies moved the ball effectively all night while pressuring the Pack into mistakes all night.
“In this conference you can’t give away weak goals,” Santoro said. “You can’t play for 65 minutes; we’re not a complete team right now.”
Virginia Tech dominated the Wolfpack early during the match. The Hokies quickly pushed the ball down the field and rarely allowed the Wolfpack to get into any offensive rhythm.
The loss is State’s third straight conference loss after beating Pittsburgh on Sept. 15. The Pack’s next game is against ACC opponent Boston College (2-5, 1-2 ACC) on Sunday.
Virginia Tech scored early to put the Pack on its heels. Virginia Tech forward Ashley Meier broke through the N.C. State defense in the sixth minute and scored an unassisted goal, placing the ball just out of N.C. State goalkeeper Mackenzie Stelljes’ reach.
After an N.C. State foul, Virginia Tech striker Katie Yensen scored off a penalty kick. Yensen fired the ball through the bottom left corner of the goal putting the Hokies up 2-0 in the 19th minute.
The Hokies looked strong defensively against the Pack, holding State to three shots in the first period and seven shots for the game.
Stengel momentarily got State back in the game. In the 60th minute, senior defender Megan Proper whipped in a cross to Stengel, who powered her header past Tech’s goalkeeper.
Stengel’s eighth goal of the season gave new life to the Wolfpack, who had been struggling to build offensive momentum.
“It was a great ball by Meagan Proper,” freshman striker Jackie Stengel said. “She’s been hitting them to me all night and I finally got on the end of it.”
In the closing minutes, Tech put the game to bed. Hokie defender Taylor Antolino scored a header in the 75th minute to put Tech up 3-1. Tech striker Katie DeTuro scored her team’s fourth goal of the night, another header in the 78th minute to effectively end the contest.
Santoro was disappointed by the lack of effort and attention the Wolfpack gave during the game, and he believes his team has more to learn.
“We’re not at the standard you need to be in the ACC for 90 minutes,” Santoro said. “Until they learn how to play a complete game, we’re going to struggle.”
