The No. 19 NC State women’s soccer team battled Nebraska on Thursday, Sept. 8, drawing 0-0 while visiting the Cornhuskers.
In a slow day at the office for both offenses, defense certainly dictated the pace of the Pack’s second road match of the season. With only two shots on goal in the entire match, both coming from the Huskers, defense proved to reign supreme for both sides in the scoreless draw.
Those two shots on goal from Nebraska were both saved by junior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta, who earned her third clean sheet of the season. The pair of saves was made in the final 10 minutes of the match as the Cornhuskers desperately looked for the winner.
While Echezarreta and the defense held strong, especially down the stretch, the Pack’s offense struggled the entire game, only managing to fire off five shots, none of which were on target. Senior forward Alexis Strickland registered the only shot of the first half for the Wolfpack while Nebraska got 11 shots off.
The second half was more even in terms of shots, but neither side could find the back of the net, much less a shot on goal. Shots from sophomore defender Fernanda Soto, senior forward Jameese Joseph and sophomore midfielder Annika Wohner gave the Pack hope in the latter 45 minutes, but none were able to land shots on Nebraskas’s goal.
The match also had a notable amount of whistles, with NC State committing 10 fouls to Nebraska’s 14, further contributing to the defensive grudge match.
After being outshot 16-6 in its last match against Harvard, the Pack’s attacking unit didn’t fare much better against Nebraska. NC State was outshot 17-5 and failed to register a shot on goal. After two less than convincing performances from the offense, NC State will look to rebound in the attacking third in its upcoming matches.
Next up for NC State is another road match as the Pack will take on the No. 4 South Carolina Gamecocks. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11.
