The NC State men’s soccer team was able to dispose of the Liberty Flames by a score of 4-1 Tuesday night, and it was just the result Head Coach Kelly Findley was looking for on the team’s senior night.
“We are playing the best soccer of the year,” Findley said. “We are looking good and the guys are working hard, so when you put that together you can get a result against any team.”
The start of the game saw a few quality offensive breaks for Liberty, but the deadlock was short lived.
In the 3rd minute, Pack freshman forward Ryan Peterson combined a 1-2 pass with junior winger Reed Norton, who was able to get a low, driven cross off which Peterson connected. Although driving the ball just high of the crossbar, the Pack would be back for more.
One minute later, Liberty conceded a free kick 35 yards out. Sophomore midfielder Michael Bajza drove a high ball into the back corner of the box, dropping it directly on the head of freshman defender Conor Donovan. Donovan was unable to play it directly into goal, but he flicked it towards the back post, and a diving Norton connected his head to the bouncy ball for the Pack’s first goal.
The next seventeen minutes saw Pack domination on the ball, possessing inside the Liberty half before finding the back of the net for the second time.
While Liberty was attempting to build out of the back, Bajza dispossessed the center mid and saw the keeper off his line, hitting a long arching ball into the back of the net, chipping the keeper from 40 yards out.
With a 2-0 lead, the Pack still sought to possess the ball but were slower to move forward, looking more to control the game. This proved to almost cost them, as the Flames forward found himself on the Pack’s doorstep with both the ball and space.
The forward’s well struck, knuckling shot was carried away by redshirt junior goalkeeper Joe Mills. The following Liberty corner was then cleared away by the defense, and the game resumed.
The Pack seemingly settled in at the 27th minute, subbing both Norton and sophomore forward Travis Wannemuehler out of the game. This did not affect the Pack at all, as the team continued to roll smoothly throughout the rest of the game.
“We have three games in one week,” Findley said. “We have to manage minutes and the guys are responding well.”
The third Pack goal came after a small spell of Liberty possession. Moving the ball up the center of the field, it came to rest on the foot of redshirt junior defender Philip Carmon. Under pressure, he switched the ball to Wannemuehler on the wing, who took a quick touch down the line and then hit a curving ball back post and a lurking Carmon headed it home, scoring his first goal of the season on his senior night.
“It feels good,” Carmon said. “This is a great group of guys, you couldn’t ask for a better senior night, and to get a goal is a plus.”
Moving into the second half, the Pack’s mindset changed. Instead of searching for more goals, they looked to manage the game and have more caution on the ball.
However, when a solid team gets 7 corners in a game, they are bound to connect on at least one.
This was the case tonight for Liberty, who hit six more corners than State, who only hit one.
In the second half, Liberty found the back of the net on a rebound header after a quick reaction save by Mills on the initial header.
Two Pack penalty kicks occurred in the late minutes of the game.
The first was taken in the 75th minute by redshirt senior defender Ryan Metts. He was unable to find the back of the net, as the Flames keeper made a great save off conceding the penalty.
In the 82nd minute, a Liberty handball in the box set up the final goal of the match by sophomore midfielder Yanni Hachem. He stepped up and coolly placed the ball in the back of the net.
The Wolfpack will conclude its season in South Carolina on Friday evening when the team faces off against No.5 Clemson.