Photo by: John Joyner
Sophomore midfielder Holden Fender jumps over an opposing player in pursuit of the ball during the conference opening soccer match against new ACC member Pittsburgh at Dail Soccer Field Friday, Sept. 6, 2013. The Wolfpack defeated the Panthers 1-0 in overtime.
For the second consecutive game, N.C. State won in overtime.
Sophomore midfielder Holden Fender’s first goal for the Wolfpack came at an ideal time, giving State (3-0, 1-0 ACC) a 2-1 win at William and Mary (1-2) on Tuesday night.
Senior midfielder Alex Martinez also scored for State. His goal came just moments after the Pack got scored on.
The Tribe’s only goal of the match came unexpectedly in the 66th minute as State dominated much the game through its defensive pressure and attacking impetus.
Martinez, a pre-season second team All-American, was pleased to get his first goal of the season after leading State in goals last year.
“I’d definitely say there’s a bit of relief for me,” Martinez said. “But I’m just glad that we’re winning and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
State has outshot its opponents by a combined 61-28 this season. Almost half of the Pack’s shots of the season came Tuesday night, out-shooting the Tribe 28-10.
Fender’s goal came via a free kick from 30 yards out in the 109th minute. The sophomore hammered a low free kick around the wall and past the goalkeeper.
“From that angle, usually more times than not I would cross the ball,” Fender said. “But I saw the way the keeper lined up so I figured I’d take a chance and put it on target and see if something good happened. Fortunately enough, it went in.”
The win sets up a clash between two undefeated ACC teams.
The Wolfpack take on No. 9 Clemson (4-0, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Raleigh.
Last season, the Wolfpack led 1-0 at Clemson until the Tigers tied the game in the last minute of regulation. Clemson went on to win in overtime.
“That loss hurt us a lot,” Martinez said. “But I think it motivates us because we want to get the win and we’re trying to go 2-0 in the ACC.”
The loss came in the middle of a difficult stretch for the Pack. State lost six games of seven, including the loss to Clemson, after starting the season 6-0.
The Wolfpack finished the 2012 campaign with a 10-10 record, barely missing out on postseason play.
Martinez said this year’s Wolfpack, with 10 seniors on the team, has improved since last year’s loss to the Tigers.
“We’re a more experienced team,” Martinez said. “We’re all buying into one goal: to get the win at the end of the day. We just grew as a team and we’re playing better as a team than we were last year.”
Fender said the experience on the field has translated into wins for the Pack.
“The team’s leaders have been huge,” Fender said. “They’ve been there. They know what it takes to get an overtime win … Even though we were dead tired [against William and Mary], we were more vocal and a lot of that was coming from our senior leadership.”