NC State Athletics faced some tough competition this week as both men’s and women’s soccer traveled off campus to compete against top-25 ranked teams, the volleyball squad was challenged at home and men’s golf made the trip to the Maui Jim Intercollegiate where the team struggled to find success. The exception, of course, was Wolfpack football, which made its crushing victory over Charleston Southern look easy.
Football cruises past Charleston Southern in home opener
NC State football returned to Carter-Finley Stadium this past weekend to put on a spectacular performance against Charleston Southern, undoubtedly motivated by its close call against ECU last week. The Pack obliterated the Buccaneers both offensively and defensively as it emerged from the contest with a 55-3 victory and a 2-0 record for the 2022 season.
Offensively, the Pack was led by redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary, who threw four touchdown passes and ran the ball into the endzone twice. On the defensive end, NC State held the Buccaneers to just 150 total yards, an impressive effort with major contributions from senior nickelback Tyler Baker-Williams.
The red-and-white closed the first quarter 10-0 and didn’t look back from there, progressing to 28-0 at the half and ultimately securing a 52-point margin of victory.
Read more about the Pack’s overwhelming defeat of the Buccaneers.
Volleyball picks up two wins at home, drops match against WCU
NC State volleyball battled Indiana, TCU and Western Carolina this past week at Reynolds Coliseum and came away with mixed results. On Thursday, Sept. 8, head coach Luka Slabe noted both defensive and offensive improvements after the Wolfpack swept the Hoosiers in three straight sets. Graduate opposite hitter Vanja Bukilic played a critical role in the win, recording a game-high 16 points and tied the game-high with 13 kills.
The red-and-white went on to battle Western Carolina and TCU in a doubleheader on Friday night. A surplus of errors and miscommunications by the Wolfpack resulted in a loss to the Catamounts in three straight sets. However, NC State was able to regain its composure in time for its second match of the day, allowing it to secure a win over TCU.
Read more about the Pack’s victory over Indiana.
Read more about NC State’s doubleheader against TCU and Western Carolina.
Men’s soccer suffers loss to No. 4 Wake Forest
The previously undefeated Wolfpack traveled to Winston-Salem this past Saturday and seemed to have lost some of its mojo along the way. The team was almost unrecognizable as it picked up its first loss of the 2022 season.
After freshman midfielder Calem Tommy committed an early penalty and graduate defender Alex Bautista earned a red card, both within the first 15 minutes of play, NC State struggled to keep up with the Demon Deacons throughout the remainder of the game. The Pack ultimately fell to Wake Forest, 2-0.
Read more about the Pack’s loss to the Demon Deacons.
Women’s soccer remains unbeaten on the road
The women’s soccer team played two games this week, each resulting in a scoreless draw. NC State’s strong defensive ability was on display in both contests. However, the squad continued to struggle offensively this week, registering just one shot on goal between the two games.
Against the Cornhuskers, the whistle sounded often as NC State committed 10 fouls to Nebraska’s 14. A competitive match between the two defensively skilled teams resulted in both offenses’ apparent struggle to put the ball in the net.
Against the No. 4 Gamecocks, No. 19 NC State had an opportunity to put its skills to the test against another top-25 ranked team. The Pack’s defense held strong, but once again, it didn’t seem to have any luck offensively as South Carolina recorded 16 shots on goal while NC State had just three.
Read more about the Pack’s 0-0 draw at Nebraska.
Read more about NC State’s battle against the Gamecocks.
Men’s golf comes up short at Maui Jim Intercollegiate
NC State golf put on a somewhat disappointing performance at Mirabel Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona this past weekend as they finished 18th out of 18 teams. Notably, freshman Michael La Sasso and senior Brandon Einstein tied for 65th place, both three strokes over par.
The Wolfpack saw another tie for 75th, as junior Ethan Choi and senior Maximilian Steinlechner finished at five strokes over par. Rounding out NC State’s lackluster performance was junior Spencer Oxendine, who placed 85th, eight over par.
A common theme throughout the weekend was the Pack’s struggle to sink putts, which inevitably prevented it from achieving a more satisfactory outcome.
Read more about the Pack’s performance at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.
