With the fall sports season now in full swing, NC State athletics had an action-packed week of tough matchups, comeback victories and heart-stopping moments.
Both Wolfpack soccer squads and the volleyball team have settled into their seasons nicely, all boasting winning records throughout the first couple weeks of competition. But it was NC State football that stole the show this week when the Pack battled East Carolina in the first game of its highly-anticipated 2022 season.
Football survives the Pirates in season opener
NC State football’s 2022 season opener took place in Greenville, North Carolina where the Wolfpack took on its interstate rivals, the ECU Pirates. While NC State may have turned in a less-than-perfect performance, especially during its scoreless second half, the game didn’t disappoint in terms of excitement.
After being down 21-7 at half, the Pirates nearly pulled off a comeback victory on the then-No. 13 Wolfpack. The upset attempt fell just short, or more accurately, it was pulled wide right as ECU missed a game-winning field goal with just nine seconds left, allowing the Pack to scrape past the Pirates.
It’s safe to say the stunning finish in Greenville gave Wolfpack fans everywhere a season’s worth of anxiety in that one play, and that was just week one.
Read more about NC State’s first win of 2022 against ECU.
Women’s soccer earns first road win and suffers first loss of season
After a strong start to the season, NC State women’s soccer had its ups and downs this week after earning both its first road win in a comeback victory at Elon and suffering its first loss of the season against Harvard.
After finding itself down 1-0 against Elon, the Pack pulled off an impressive comeback victory fueled by two corner kick goals. The winner, scored by graduate defender Jenna Butler, was a clutch one to say the least. After receiving a corner from fellow graduate defender Lulu Guttenberger, Butler headed in the go-ahead 78th minute goal.
However, NC State didn’t fare as well in its following match against Harvard. The Crimson’s defense stifled the Pack all game long, holding the red-and-white scoreless in its first loss of the season.
Read about the Pack’s comeback win at Elon.
Kelly and men’s soccer continue hot start
The NC State men’s soccer team has been on a roll as of late, and graduate midfielder Conor Kelly has been at the center of it all. Kelly has recorded five goals in three games, four of which have come this week in NC State’s 4-0 win over Wofford and its 1-1 draw at Mercer, rightfully earning him the title of ACC Offensive Player of the Week.
Three of NC State’s four goals against Wofford came from Kelly as the transfer earned his first hat trick while donning the red-and-white. One of those included this first-class shot from outside the box that curled around the reach of the Terriers’ keeper.
Read about Kelly’s hat trick against the Terriers.
Read more about the Pack’s 1-1 draw at Mercer.
Volleyball goes 2-1 in first three matches at home
This week, the NC State Volleyball squad took on Colgate, Elon and Tennessee in its first three matches at home this year, going 2-1 against its early-season opponents.
The 4-2 Wolfpack made quick work of Colgate on Thursday, Sept. 1, sweeping the Raiders in straight sets.
Just two days later on Saturday, Sept. 3, NC State beat Elon 3-1 and was swept 3-0 by Tennessee in its action-packed doubleheader. Sophomore opposite hitter Amanda Rice had an impressive day overall by tallying double-digit kills in both matches and recording a career-high 17 kills in the Pack’s loss against the Volunteers.
Read about how the Pack swept the Raiders in straight sets.
Read the recap of NC State’s dual-action day against Elon and Tennessee.
