The NC State men’s soccer team hit the ground running in a 6-0 exhibition beatdown of the Queens University Royals on Sunday, August 14. Despite plenty of new faces on the pitch, the Wolfpack showed it’s gelling quite well as the regular season approaches.
Sophomore forward Henrique Santos ignited the Pack in the first half, netting the opener off a low cross from freshman midfielder Drew Lovelace in the eighth minute before notching his second goal in the 32nd minute assisted by sophomore midfielder Noe Cabezas.
“Every time I score it’s just a great feeling,” Santos said. “I feel very grateful to be here at NC State and I just want to leave everything out there.”
Junior forward Junior Nare kept the Pack on its front foot in the second half, notching two goals of his own in his NC State debut. With his brace, Nare added his name to a long list of upcomers and newcomers primed to contribute in the regular season.
The Pack’s ability to attack down the wings was a theme across the 90. The Royals fullbacks simply could not keep up with the pace of Lovelace, Santos and pretty much anyone head coach George Kiefer placed on the flanks.
“A few of the goals came off of our transition,” Kiefer said. “Two quick passes and goals, I thought that was good. For sure, we’ve upgraded the wider areas. I thought the guys did well in those spots tonight.”
A big component of that success on the outside was the speed of the Wolfpack’s younger players. Santos, Lovelace, Cabezas and freshman defender Jonathan Cisneros all exhibited electric quickness to attack quickly down the sidelines.
“I thought it was good to see them out there in Wolfpack gear,” Kiefer said. “[There were] some local NCFC guys putting the jersey on for the first time. I thought from that standpoint, it was exactly what we were looking for in a match that basically had three full days of training. Really pleased for what it gave us.”
A pair of veterans tacked their names onto the scoresheet as well. Senior defender Kendall Edwards nodded in a corner from Cabezas to make it 2-0 in the 16th minute, and senior forward Jared Miller rounded out the scoring in the 74th minute off Lovelace’s second assist of the evening.
With contributors both old and new, NC State showed its merit as a unit of 11 on the field.
“The returners did a great job and hopefully we can push the younger guys to do the same,” Santos said. “They’re already very adapted to the squad, into the way we want to play, so that’s a very good thing for us.”
After one more exhibition at Coastal Carolina on Saturday, August 20, the Wolfpack will open its regular season at home against the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds on Friday, August 26. Kickoff for both of those matches is set for 7 p.m.
