Another year, another NCAA tournament berth for NC State women’s soccer. At this point, it’s routine for the Wolfpack, as head coach Tim Santoro and his squad have earned a spot in the tourney for the sixth consecutive fall season.
NC State has been able to make perennial postseason appearances, consistently reaching the second or third round of the tournament under the guidance of Santoro. But this year’s effort isn’t like any other as this will be the last run for some of the Pack’s best players.
Graduate defenders Lulu Guttenberger and Jenna Butler have been there for the majority of the Wolfpack’s six-year postseason streak. Through thick and thin, the two have held down NC State’s back line, giving opponents fits anytime they step on the pitch. With their final games in a red and white jersey looming, they’ll look to put the finishing touches on some legendary careers.
The first test in this year’s tournament will come against UCF. Like most years, NC State is set to host in its first round match, but this bout isn’t a guaranteed win for the Wolfpack. The Knights pose a very real threat, and even boasted a better record than NC State this season.
However, the Pack has had no trouble in sending opposing teams packing in the first round in past seasons. In its last three appearances, NC State ripped through South Florida, Navy and Northwestern in the first round, outscoring those opponents 6-0 combined. Furthermore, NC State has played much better competition than UCF as the Pack had to fight tooth and nail through a challenging ACC schedule this season.
While that tough schedule has left NC State with a less than desirable 7-7-5 record, its competition may have given the squad the experience and challenge it needs to find success in the postseason.
With Guttenberger and Butler giving NC State all the veteran leadership it would need, especially on the defensive side, it’ll be up to an inconsistent offense to get on the board versus its opponents in the tournament. Senior forward Jameese Joseph has been a walking highlight reel this season and as NC State’s best attacker, Joseph will need to keep doing what she’s been so good at this whole season — scoring.
Pacing the team in goals with eight, Joseph has the ball skills, speed and scoring proficiency to change games on a whim. She’s lethal in the clutch as well, scoring many of her goals in the waning moments of matches when her team needs it the most. NC State will be looking to Joseph to do her thing once again against UCF, but she’ll need help from the rest of the offense to play complimentary attacking soccer.
Fellow senior forwards Leyah Hall-Robinson and Alexis Strickland have certainly put their fair share of work in on the offensive side. Hall-Robinson, who leads the team in assists with five, will need to put her skills to work to rectify an inconsistent offense that tends to stall out within the final 20 yards. Sophomore and senior midfielders Annika Wohner and Jaiden Thomas have also gotten in on the offensive action, each boasting one goal and four assists on the season. NC State needs a group effort in order to complete passes and get shots up, especially because this has been a recurring issue at times this season.
Last but certainly not least, junior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta has been on a tear this season in between the posts. She has broken her career-high record in goals not once, but twice this season by recording 10 saves at North Carolina and a whopping 14 saves against Louisville. Echezarreta completes the staunch defense created by Guttenberger and Butler’s dominating presence and is sure to frustrate the Knights more than a few times in the first round.
Beyond the first round, however, is where things get infinitely tougher for NC State. If the Pack does manage to down UCF, the tournament draw has the red-and-white set to face the blue-and-gold of UCLA. As a No. 1 seed, the Bruins are no joke and will give NC State all it can handle and more in the second round. While a second round appearance is yet to be secured for the Wolfpack, a win in this matchup would prove to be one of the biggest in program history.
For now, however, the Wolfpack has its sights set on UCF and will no doubt benefit from the energetic atmosphere at Dail Soccer Field.
With everything on the line, NC State is set to do what it does best and battle the Knights on Sunday, Nov. 13. Kickoff at Dail is set for noon.
