After last Wednesday’s loss to Duke in the first round of the ACC tournament, the NC State men’s soccer team finished its season on a decidedly low note, but the team answered the tough questions left at the end of 2013.

With a solid core of young players and a talented recruiting class waiting for 2015, the Wolfpack (7-7-4, 14-3 ACC) is on much better footing than last year, when the team’s two best attacking players, midfielders Alex Martinez and Nazmi Albadawi, as well as star goalkeeper Fabian Otte, all graduated.

The Pack renewed its ranks with one of the top recruiting classes in the country, ranked third by Top Drawer Soccer, but entered the fall of 2014 needing answers. Who would carry the team’s creative mantle? Would junior goalkeeper Alex McCauley continue the promising play he showed in the spring? How would the rebuilt defense handle itself against the top attacking teams in the ACC?

2014 saw the emergence of freshman attacking midfielder Zach Knudson and sophomore winger Travis Wannemuehler as the creative offensive catalysts for the Wolfpack moving forward.

Knudson’s blend of balance, acceleration, touch and aggression quickly embedded him as a starter, putting in work both on and off the ball. His incisive dribbling and intense defending endeared him to NC State fans. The midfielder ended the season with four goals, tied with four Pack players for the team lead in goals.

The New Jersey native’s solo run and finish against Virginia Tech stands as a high point of his season.

Wannemuehler enjoyed a massive improvement after a zero goal, zero assist 2013 campaign. The winger notched three goals and four assists over the course of the season and proved himself as one of the Pack’s most dangerous players, adept at generating separation between himself and a defender before picking out passes. 

His goal and assist in a 2-1 win against then-No. 5 Louisville remain great examples of his opportunistic finishing and fine crossing, while his dipping volley against Virginia Tech was a memorable highlight reel goal.

State’s probably player of the season, however, was junior goalkeeper McCauley. The Marietta, Georgia, native put any questions of his capability at taking over from Otte to rest, and he’ll keep his place between the sticks next year. 

McCauley recorded 72 saves on the season, but his pinnacle was a 12-stop effort against nationally-ranked Louisville, which included a penalty kick save.

Given the defense’s changes over the course of the season, allowing only 23 goals in 18 games is a decent record. The Wolfpack began the season with a back four of senior Ryan Metts, senior Clement Simonin, freshman Conor Donovan and junior Reed Norton.

By the ACC tournament, injury issues and competition saw senior Matt Ingram, and freshmen Donovan, Matias Fracchia and Caleb Duvernay tasked with protecting goal. With 75 percent of this defense returning next year, head coach Kelly Findley only has to decide who takes over at right back, vacated by the graduating Metts and Ingram.

Over the course of the season, State struggled with injuries to key players. Despite the team’s depth, clear holes arose midway through the year when the center back Simonin, freshman striker Ade Taiwo and senior striker Nick Surkamp all struggled for fitness.

Simonin forced an accelerated integration for Fracchia, who produced a few promising but error-filled performances that cost the team points before he settled in with the defensive unit.

Up front, with both target strikers sidelined, Norton was forced into a central role. Sophomore midfielder Yanni Hachem and freshman wide forward Ryan Peterson also spent time in central roles. Without a natural striker up top, the team struggled to score from open play.

Tactically, State also evolved but found a comfort zone that will probably persist in 2015. After an unsuccessful experiment with 4-4-2, the Pack returned to a flexible 4-3-3 formation to facilitate its combination of interior passers, and quick, direct wingers. 

With team points leader Michael Bajza, consistent metronome and field general Holden Fender, barreling offensive juggernaut Knudson and versatile substitute Roland Minogue all returning next season, the midfield is completely established.

NC State may have finished the year with an average record, but with just one starting position in need of a replacement and an attack-minded 2015 recruiting class, the Wolfpack has stability, continuity and fewer questions heading into Findley’s fifth year at the helm.