In just his first season as head coach of NC State men’s soccer, Marc Hubbard is already one of the most accomplished coaches in program history after the Wolfpack’s 2-0 victory over No. 4 seed Georgetown Sunday afternoon at Shaw Field in Washington D.C.
The win over the Hoyas sends the Wolfpack to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992, making Hubbard just the second coach to lead the Wolfpack past the second round of the NCAA Tournament, joining George Tarantini. It’s nothing new for Hubbard, who led the University of New Hampshire to seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments before he arrived in Raleigh, but the first-year turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable.
Hubbard inherited a Wolfpack team that had missed the last four NCAA Tournaments and finished second to last in the ACC. He rehauled the roster, bringing in 14 newcomers that included 11 transfers. Three of the transfers followed Hubbard from New Hampshire in an attempt to bring a winning mentality the Wolfpack was missing.
Junior midfielder Taig Healy was one of the three former Wildcats, and he’s led the charge in implementing Hubbard’s culture and system. Healy entered the match against the Hoyas tied for the team lead in points, so it was no surprise that he was the one who set up the game-winning goal.
In the 27th minute, redshirt sophomore center back Isaac Heffess dropped off a pass to Healy at the top of the box. While the ball was on its way to Healy, he saw junior forward Drew Lovelace running into the box. With a soft touch pass, Healy perfectly hit Lovelace in stride who danced around a diving Hoyas defender and fired a strike with his left foot past Georgetown goalie Tenzing Manske into the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Healy also set up the Wolfpack’s second goal of the match. With sophomore forward Donavan Phillip racing down the left sideline, Healy placed another brilliant pass that allowed Phillip to keep his momentum. As soon as the ball reached his foot, Phillip fired a rocket just underneath the crossbar to give the Wolfpack a 2-0 lead in the 66th minute.
Phillip is in his first season with NC State after transferring from the University of Oakland and has formed a formidable front line alongside Healy and sophomore forward Hakim Karamoko. The trio has combined for 19 goals and 12 assists and their combination of speed, power and skill makes them one of the most dangerous front lines in all of college soccer.
While Healy’s precise passes and fantastic finishes that followed them headlined the Wolfpack’s win over the Hoyas, the defense was just as crucial to the victory. For the fifth straight game, NC State held its opponent under its shots and shots on goal average. The Hoyas entered the game 13th in the country at shots per game at just over 15 per game and the Pack held them to 12. Georgetown was putting 5.85 shots on goal per game, but NC State held it to three.
NC State’s improved defense has been one of the biggest differences between last year’s squad and this year’s. Last season, the Wolfpack allowed the third-most total goals and second-most goals per game in the ACC compared to ranking fourth in goals allowed and fifth in goals allowed per game this regular season.
There is no better example of NC State’s commitment to the defensive end than what freshman defender Niko Markovic did with the Pack clinging to a 1-0 lead in the second half. Junior goalkeeper Logan Erb came out of the box to try and clear the ball but hit it right to Georgetown’s Mitchell Baker, leaving the net wide open. With a clear shot on net, Baker cocked his leg back to tie the game but out of nowhere, Markovic dove in front of the shot and kept it out with his leg to keep the Pack in front.
With timely goals and lockdown defense, NC State is off to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. The Wolfpack will play the winner of No. 13 seed Marshall and Furman on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1.
