NC State women’s soccer had a fitting end to its final game at Dail Soccer Stadium in 2024.
After nearly 90 minutes of back-and-forth defensive play, the Wolfpack finally earned the chance it was seeking. A nearly wide-open goal materialized for senior defender Brianna Weber in the 85th minute, and she launched the game-winner toward the Virginia Tech goal.
But, as an embodiment of its 2024 season, the Wolfpack — and Weber’s shot — showed promise but ultimately missed the mark.
Instead of sinking into the back of the net, Weber’s potential go-ahead score clattered off the crossbar, marking the final opportunity for NC State to emerge with a victory against the Hokies. The Wolfpack’s admirable effort in front of its home crowd for the last time this season earned the team a 0-0 draw in Raleigh.
While the draw wasn’t the result the team was so close to having, the result marked the third game in a row the Wolfpack has either won or tied. The red-and-white put in an effort against Virginia Tech and the Pack’s past two opponents that head coach Tim Santoro applauded.
“Anytime you go three games in this league and don’t lose, it’s not bad,” Santoro said. “It’s been a disappointing season. They could have packed it in, but to do what they’re doing right now, three games in a row, late in the season, shows there is character. So I’m proud of that.”
The match got off to a slow start — there were no shots on goal for either team in the first 25 minutes. After half an hour of gridlock, the Hokies broke through with a scoring chance. The ball was centered into the box, and Virginia Tech headed the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal, but junior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas made a diving save to keep the contest tied at zero.
The Wolfpack offense in the first half was unable to get going and only produced one shot on goal.
The second half was much more eventful with three shots on goal and multiple legitimate scoring chances. The opportunity came from a free kick in the attacking third after a yellow card was given to a Hokie defender for an illegal challenge to prevent a fast break for the NC State offense. The free kick from 40 yards out looked promising, but the Hokies were able to clear the ball before NC State could capitalize.
On the defensive side, the Pack was able to avoid a loss as Virginia Tech produced strong scoring chances in the final 15 minutes of the match. After a long back and forth game, the Wolfpack defense was clearly exhausted and playing on its heels, but it was able to dodge some game-losing chances from the Hokies’ offense.
While NC State wrapped up its slate of home matches in 2024, the Pack is set to finish its regular season in Winston-Salem for a showdown with one of the best team’s, both in the ACC and nationwide, in Wake Forest.
“They could be playing for the conference championship,” Santoro said. “It’s gonna be hard. So we just got to be ready to fight and defend.”
Kickoff against the Demon Deacons is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31.
While NC State has one more game to go, Santoro said the 2024 season didn’t go the way he expected it to. The Wolfpack will be able to finish with a maximum of just two ACC wins.
“It’s a disappointment,” Santoro said. “We knew we were gonna have our work cut out for us coming into the season. We thought it’d be a little better than it’s been, especially the nonconference. … But again, to do what they’re doing now, we can take something from that to move forward.”
