With fall sports in full swing, everyone’s always concerned about wins, losses, records and points. However, it’s nice to reflect and appreciate the plays and moments that make NC State sports so special.
From some first-class goals at Dail Soccer Field, to some highlight-reel plays at Carter-Finley Stadium, September had it all. So without further ado, here are the top five plays from the wide world of NC State Athletics in the past month.
5. Leary’s determined touchdown run
Birthdays are always fun.
But did you score six touchdowns on your last birthday? Redshirt junior quarterback Devin Leary did.
In NC State football’s home opener against Charleston Southern, Leary put on a historic performance that all started with his tough 12-yard rushing touchdown, where he broke not one, not two, but three tackles en route to the endzone. His determined and angry run helped inspire the Wolfpack’s 55-3 rout of the Buccaneers. Leary would go on to throw four touchdowns and run for one more in the win, concluding in a pretty successful birthday for the 23-year-old.
4. Nare’s bending banger
If you haven’t heard of junior forward Junior Nare yet, now is a perfect time to get acquainted.
Nare, a transfer from La Salle University, quickly showed Wolfpack fans what he could do in just the second game of the season for NC State men’s soccer. In the red-and-white’s match against Wofford, Nare rapidly progressed the ball down the right sideline, cut inwards and proceeded to rip a bending shot from outside the penalty area and over the Terrier keeper.
It’s safe to say there was no saving that one. As Nare’s shot curled into the goal, he left the Wofford goalkeeper speechless, while the Wolfpack fans in the stands were quite the opposite.
3. Thomas greets UConn with a 75-yard score
Some would argue that football games are less fun when you don’t score on the first play from scrimmage.
Well, graduate wide receiver Thayer Thomas certainly begs to differ.
As NC State football looked to settle an old debt in its game against UConn, Leary found Thomas on the right sideline on the very first play from scrimmage. Thomas made a leaping catch and proceeded to outrun the entire Husky secondary on the way to his 75-yard score.
It was a sight to be seen for sure. Thomas and Leary sent Carter-Finley Stadium into a ruckus, quickly jumping out to a 7-0 lead just 13 seconds into the game.
2. Kelly’s first score of the season
If you’ve been following NC State men’s soccer, you’ll know that graduate midfielder Conor Kelly has been on an absolute tear in the last month. After scoring four goals in the first three games of the season, there’s no doubt that Kelly has made a huge impact on the squad after transferring to NC State.
To start off the hot streak, Kelly scored the Pack’s first goal of the season in first-class fashion. After receiving a pass from senior defender Pablo Pedregosa, Kelly fired a rocket of a shot from well outside the box straight into the top right corner of the goal, sending his teammates and the crowd into a frenzy.
The unexpected shot surprised both the announcers and Loyola Maryland’s keeper, but there was no competing with Kelly’s high-velocity shot that helped capture the Pack’s first win of the season.
1. Joseph’s heroic buzzer beater
It doesn’t matter that this miraculous play wasn’t in September, it was too good not to include.
Senior forward Jameese Joseph has made it a habit of single-handedly winning games and walking off opposing teams for NC State women’s soccer. She’s already scored three game-winners this season, and the most impressive one came against Campbell University on Thursday, Aug. 25.
With just 20 seconds left in the match, all signs were pointing towards a draw between the Camels and the Wolfpack. But 20 seconds was all Joseph needed to work her magic. After receiving a Hail Mary of a pass from the defensive third, she put the moves on Campbell’s final defender and slotted away the buzzer-beating goal right past the Camels keeper. Oh, and she only did it with one shoe.
As Joseph’s cleat bounced around the pitch and the ball found the back of the net, the NC State crowd instantly erupted as she finished the heroic play with a top-notch celly. Later that night, Joseph’s fancy footwork and clutch scoring ability earned her a spot on the SportsCenter Top-10 list, so it’s no surprise that this goal comes in at number one on our list.
