The No. 19 NC State women’s soccer team lost 6-0 to the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils in a ranked ACC showdown on Sunday, Sept. 25 at Dail Soccer Stadium.

The talented Duke (8-2, 3-0 ACC) squad handed NC State (6-3-3, 1-2 ACC) its third loss of the season after scoring a whopping six goals against the Wolfpack’s touted defense, two of which came within the first 10 minutes of the match.

After Duke’s pair of early goals, the Blue Devils ran away with the game, using their dominant playstyle and depth of talented players to outpace the red-and-white on the scoresheet.

“It’s humbling,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “They’re a good team and their performance in the final third in the beginning of both halves was at a different level.”

The Blue Devils opened the second half like they did the first, scoring their third and fourth goals within the first 10 minutes after the break. Once up 4-0, the contest was all but over as Duke was determined to run up the score, netting two more goals by the end of regulation.

NC State’s defense, which had previously allowed an average of just 0.8 goals per game, was repeatedly bombarded by an efficient Duke offense that fired off 16 shots, 11 of which were on goal.

Conversely, NC State was only able to get a mere two shots, neither of which were on target. While the Wolfpack had some quality looks in the attacking third, largely engineered by senior forwards Jameese Joseph and Leyah Hall-Robinoson, NC State couldn’t penetrate Duke’s talented defense.

The best chance of the night for the Pack came via a free kick from graduate defender Lulu Guttenberger. After sending a dangerous ball into the box, fellow graduate defender Jenna Butler nearly found the back of the net, but her shot went just wide of the right-hand goal post.

While Duke made sure to pile it on, especially in the second half, the Wolfpack gave its best effort until the final whistle, attacking the Duke defense and making the Blue Devils work for every goal they scored.

“We’re still a good team,” Santoro said. “Again, 6-0 is humbling, but it is just a loss. That’s how we have to look at it.”

NC State will look to rectify its two-game losing streak as it takes to the most challenging part of its schedule this season with a three-match road trip against some powerful ACC squads.

The first test is set to come on Thursday, Sept. 29 at Clemson. Kickoff against the Tigers is set for 8 p.m.