In NC State women’s soccer’s regular season home finale, the Wolfpack suffered a 1-0 loss to the Louisville Cardinals on Thursday, Oct. 20.
Now 0-3-1 in its last four matches, it’s safe to say NC State (7-6-4, 2-5-1 ACC) has hit more than a skid in its play. Season-long problems within the attacking third once again exposed themselves against the Cardinals (6-6-2, 3-5 ACC) in the Pack’s final game at home for the 2022 regular season.
Despite the lack of production on offense, junior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta continues to put up career-defining performances in goal. Just two matches after establishing a career-high 10 saves, the junior once again eclipsed her personal best, recording a whopping 14 saves against the Cardinals.
Game after game, Echezarreta repeatedly acts as the Wolfpack’s anchor, and her stellar effort against the Cardinals single handedly kept NC State in the match.
Like most other losses on the season, the Wolfpack was dramatically outshot. Louisville tallied 24 total shots on the night, and more impressively, sent 15 of those shots on goal. Meanwhile, NC State only put up five shots and two on goal. Because of this gap, a significant lack of pressure on the offensive side combined with a trend of poor passes and turnovers spelled the Pack’s defeat.
“We just can’t piece it together right now,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “We have different things on different nights that are good, but then we have different things on different nights that are bad, and we’re in a bad little direction right now.”
Furthermore, a lackadaisical effort from NC State, especially after Louisville’s goal, didn’t help the red-and-white. In contrast, the Cardinals entered the match with high energy and were avid to attack from the starting whistle, nearly scoring in the second minute of the match.
Some scoreless back and forth play ensued, but soon enough Louisville earned a 29th-minute goal that ultimately proved enough to win the Cardinals the match.
Even with Louisville controlling a majority of the first half possession, NC State still had its fair share of chances in the first 45. The red-and-white’s attacks, most of which were helped along by senior forward Jameese Joseph, threatened the Cardinal defense quite a few times. However, the finishing touches on those attacks never seemed to fully materialize, resulting in a 1-0 advantage for the visitors at the break.
The same story ensued in the second half, with possession after possession flaming out due to intercepted passes, turnovers or a lack of passes through on goal. While the Pack searched for the equalizer, an overall disappointing effort inside the attacking third resulted in a scoreless night. Meanwhile, Echezarreta was the only one keeping it close thanks to her incredible performance in between the posts.
After a series of subpar performances, re-establishing the level of play and confidence that the Wolfpack toted at the beginning of the season will be integral to ending the regular season on a high note.
“Anytime confidence is a little shattered, it’s a tough thing to get back unless you get a result,” Santoro said. “We just have to keep going and try to get it resolved.”
Opportunities to regain that confidence and find a groove offensively will come in the Pack’s final two games of the regular season, both of which will take place away from Dail Soccer Field.
“We still have a couple of games to clean this up and get where we need to go,” Santoro said. “But we’re just leaving it late here. We have to put it all together for a couple of days.”
A date with the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday, Oct. 23 is next on the docket for NC State. Kickoff in Charlottesville, Virginia is scheduled for 2 p.m.
