NC State men’s soccer left California with a 0-0 tie against the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal Friday night at Maloney Field.
NC State (5-2-3, 1-2-1 ACC) came into the game looking to get a big road win and put itself back on track in the race for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack has played its fair share of top ACC competition this season, but after losing two straight conference games to Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, it was hungry to get back in the win column. No better opportunity than the No. 2 ranked Cardinal (8-1-2, 3-0-2 ACC) on the road.
Despite having to travel three time zones over, NC State kept up with Stanford in the first half as the Cardinal barely outshot the Pack 7-6. While there wasn’t much of a shot discrepancy, the Cardinal was more accurate in its attempts. Stanford had a 4-1 shot-on-goal advantage in the first 45 minutes.
With Stanford firing shots on goal, NC State needed junior goalkeeper Logan Erb to stand strong in front of the net and he did. Erb saved all four shots, including a diving stop in the 35th minute after a Cardinal redirected a cross toward the net. The San Diego State transfer ensured the game was tied going into halftime and gave his team a chance to win.
The second half also found a fair share of balance, with both teams finishing the game with 11 shots. Both the Cardinal and Wolfpack took opportunities to push the ball downfield, but those initiatives never ultimately resulted in a goal.
Despite not finding the back of the net, NC State did make several strong offensive pushes. No team decisively controlled the game, but the Pack put a great amount of pressure on the Stanford defense and forced mistakes that gave it more opportunities to score. NC State finished the game with six corner kicks — three more than Stanford — a highlight statistic for head coach Marc Hubbard.
The key player for the Pack on the offensive side of the field was sophomore forward Hakim Karamoko. Despite only playing for 65 minutes, Karamoko pushed the Stanford defense to its limits with four shot attempts. Karamoko has made an impact on the team all season and this game was no exception.
Even though the Wolfpack did not achieve victory in Stanford, it can still come away from this game with a lot of positive outlooks. Playing against the No. 2 ranked team, on the road, in a conference matchup, and playing at its level can provide a confidence boost for this squad.
Up next, NC State will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
