NC State women’s soccer continued its 2024 campaign with a 1-1 draw at Syracuse and its first ACC win of the season in a 1-0 home win over Clemson.
While the Wolfpack managed a draw against the Orange (6-8-2, 0-7-1 ACC) on Thursday night in Syracuse, New York, the red-and-white took it to the Tigers (6-7-2, 2-6 ACC), a perennially talented college women’s soccer program, in a gutsy 1-0 victory on Sunday afternoon.
At Syracuse, 1-1 draw
Coming off three straight conference losses, NC State started its rebound with a draw against Syracuse on Thursday in New York.
Despite the Orange taking a 1-0 lead in just the fourth minute, the Wolfpack hung in on the road against its conference foe. While the early and quick deficit suggested another disappointing loss could come for head coach Tim Santoro’s squad, NC State warded off the Orange for the rest of the half as it looked for an equalizer.
While the Pack didn’t find it in the first half, it found the back of the net 11 minutes into the second. Freshman midfielder Mana Nakata rocketed a corner kick to junior defender Taylor Chism, who sent the ball past the Orange keeper for an NC State score.
From there, the 1-1 score held for the remainder of the match. Junior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas was key to keeping Syracuse off the board in the second half, finishing the match with seven saves.
Offensively, NC State looked for the go-ahead score until the bitter end with sophomore forward Jade Bordeleau leading the charge. Bordeleau fired a team-leading six shots while her team put up a total of 20, 10 of which were on target.
Against Clemson, 1-0 victory
The Wolfpack returned home with momentum from its draw and capitalized on it against Clemson. The win signified NC State’s first conference win of the season as the Pack extended its win streak against the Tigers to two games.
The two sides were locked in a gritty battle for the entirety of their Sunday afternoon showdown at Dail Soccer Stadium. Early chances from Bordeleau and Chism threatened to break the 0-0 tie, but the Tigers held on against the fiery NC State offense.
NC State finally broke through the Clemson defense late in the game in the 71st minute. After receiving a pinpoint pass from Bordeleau, sophomore midfielder Rosalie Olou scored her first career goal when the Wolfpack needed it most.
Pratapas and the rest of the defense found a way to pitch a shutout for the entirety of the game in the victory.
Next, NC State will face Virginia Tech for its final home game of the regular season. The Wolfpack will take on the Hokies at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Dail Soccer Stadium before concluding its season with a match against Wake Forest on Sunday.
