NC State men’s soccer cruised past Wofford in a 4-0 dismantling of the Terriers on Monday, Aug. 29. The convincing victory was fueled by a hat trick from graduate midfielder Conor Kelly as well as a clean sheet for senior goalkeeper Windham Ellis in his first career start for the Pack.
New faces certainly stole the show for NC State in its second regular season game of the year. Kelly was the biggest standout, sending home three beautiful finishes on four shots throughout the evening. The first of his trifecta opened the scoring for the Wolfpack in the 18th minute of the contest when sophomore forward Luke Hille found Kelly breaking the back line on a beautiful through ball.
Kelly’s second goal of the evening was one to remember, sending a technically pure curling ball past the Wofford keeper from outside the box. Every now and then, a spectator is left in awe by what they witness on the pitch, but very rarely can a goalkeeper say the same. Unfortunately for Wofford’s Cameron Victor, all he could do was remain frozen to his spot in the 83rd minute as Kelly’s shot nestled itself into the top-right corner. If it wasn’t apparent before Kelly netted his second goal of the night, he’s fitting right in with this Wolfpack unit.
“I think it’s just belief from the coaches, from the team,” Kelly said. “I feel really comfortable here, I’m really enjoying it. I’m getting good minutes, trying to make the most of them and help the team as much as I can.”
Kelly’s performance was an inspiring one for a graduate transfer that’s only two games into his career with NC State. Across the two contests, he’s now notched himself four goals on six shots, earning his due respect from his new program.
“He’s a really good guy, on and off the field,” said head coach George Kiefer. “Definitely, he’s a good ingredient to the mix in the middle for sure.”
Hat tricks don’t come around too often in collegiate soccer, and what Kelly was able to do tonight was impressive, to say the least. However, even without all of his contributions, the Pack found a way to win as a team.
The one goal of the night that wasn’t attached to Kelly in any way came from junior forward Junior Nare, who at least made the best goal of the evening a conversation to be had. Making a strong cut from the left wing back into the middle of the field, Nare found all the space he needed in the 36th minute to send a rocket over the keeper’s head into the side netting for his first goal with NC State.
Despite the runaway victory for the red-and-white, Wofford didn’t go the entire evening without its fair share of chances in its offensive third. Time and time again, however, the Wolfpack defense found ways to keep itself in front of the ball, even when it seemed nearly impossible to do so. From heroic diving blocks from senior defenseman Kendall Edwards to incredible reaction saves from Ellis, NC State got it done on both sides of the ball.
“Blocking shots, it’s a big thing for us,” Kiefer said. “Coming up with plays when the team needs you to, that’s a big thing for us. So a lot of little moments that contribute to the team’s success.”
With quite a few offensive highlights and two clean sheets in the Wolfpack’s 2-0 start to the season, Kiefer attributed the team’s success to how determined the squad is to improve and progress, both in practice and on game days.
“[Over] the weekend, six goals, zero against where we can continue to play better and to still win 4-0 is a great start to the season,” Kiefer said. “When you look at the work rate and how much guys are pushing each other, they’re relentless, which I like.”
After starting the 2022 season on a positive note, NC State will take on its first road challenge in Blacksburg, Virginia against Mercer with a 7 p.m. kickoff scheduled on Friday, Sept. 4.
