The players of the N.C. State men’s soccer team head to their summer teams bolstered by a strong preseason, which culminated in a 6-2 thrashing of the Duke Blue Devils at the end of April.
Though the spring preseason was an up-and-down affair featuring three wins, two losses and a draw, head coach Kelly Findley can take great encouragement from his side’s domination of a solid ACC opponent in the final match.
“The win came from our hard work defensively,” Findley said in an interview following the Duke match. “We were super organized, they were overplaying, and they gave up space behind. We created goals out of that.”
The Blue Devils attacked immediately after the opening whistle with swift individual play, engaging State defenders on the dribble. A poor clearance inside the Wolfpack penalty box was capitalized on, and within five minutes, State was down a goal. The last time the Pack had seen a deficit that early, the match resulted in a 2-0 loss to UNC-Wilmington,
However, the Wolfpack recovered. Findley was immediately at the sideline, directing his players to sit deeper in two solid banks of four, allowing the Duke forwards to dribble but preventing any space for them to attack dangerously.
“We sat in a bit and invited them to try to play around us,” Findley said. “The moments they took trying to play around helped us and limited the quality in their front two [forwards].”
Findley’s attention on transition attacking soon came into play as Duke committed more men forward to break the unyielding N.C. State lines, effectively conceding space behind their back four.
By quickly breaking forward when in possession, State found a tying goal through a looping header from senior striker Nick Surkamp.
Shortly thereafter, another lightning-quick Wolfpack attack forced the Blue Devils to foul a few yards outside the box, and State sophomore midfielder Michael Bajza curled a free kick past the diving Duke goalkeeper.
State would make it three before half time, as left-footed junior defender Reed Norton swung a dangerous free kick in from the right. The Duke keeper hesitated, and the ball bounced untouched through the crowded six-yard box and into the side netting.
Even up by two heading into the second half, the N.C. State team continued to attack at will in the second half.
Junior defensive midfielder Holden Fender found himself played through down the right, and the Wolfpack captain managed to slam the ball home from a near impossible angle to go up 4-1.
Although Duke would score another goal, the Wolfpack was rampant.
Particularly impressive was the manner in which the team limited Duke’s offensive by vigorous defensive pressing while also maintaining possession and alternating the speed of counter attacks.
Sophomore right midfielder Travis Wannemuehler earned a penalty after good work on the right, which was easily dispatched by Bajza.
To finish the scoring, a wonderfully worked move featuring quick, vertical combinations put sophomore midfielder Yanni Hachem in front of the net, and the Cary native easily slotted home the Pack’s sixth goal.
On a whole, the Duke win was a statement of just what this N.C. State team can do when motivated, although the early concession was a warning of what happens when the team comes out flat.
Though the loss of star players Nazmi Albadawi, Alex Martinez, and Fabian Otte hurts the Wolfpack individually, Findley has created a cohesive unit that remains positionally sound, strong defensively, and lightning quick on transition attacks.
Although the Wolfpack’s two losses to UNC-Wilmington and Navy showed the team’s imperfections, Findley and his players are capable of a putting together a special season which could see them make the NCAA tournament, a brutally difficult task given the ACC’s quality.
“The biggest thing we’ve discovered about ourselves this spring is that if we work hard, we have the ability to get wins,” Findley said. “However, it’s our mentality and our commitment to the team concept that will make us successful.”
