Extending its unbeaten streak to five games, No. 19 NC State men’s soccer traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia where it took down William & Mary 4-2.
On the back of a brace from sophomore forward Hakim Karamoko, NC State (7-2-5) earned its seventh win of the season against William & Mary (4-9-1), eclipsing last season’s win total of six.
Karamoko’s sixth and seventh goals now put him solely in the lead for both goals and points for the team. Karamoko opened the scoring by tapping home a cross from junior forward Drew Lovelace in the 16th minute.
Opening the Pack’s scoring, Karamoko closed it in the 84th minute when he received a pass from senior midfielder Henrique Santos and took it onto his left foot, smashing the ball past the outstretched hand of William & Mary goalkeeper Cole McNally.
Each team was able to generate a significant number of opportunities on the offensive side. Throughout the match, the Tribe outpaced the Wolfpack in shots, but the Pack put more on net with a 7-5 shot-on-goal differential.
William & Mary’s two-goal outing was the first time the Wolfpack has given up multiple goals since it lost 2-1 to now-No. 10 Duke on Sept. 27.
In the toughest conference in men’s soccer based on RPI, the red-and-white ranks seventh in goals allowed per game, coming in with a flat 1.00 in the ACC. For a team as good as the Pack is on defense, the two goals were a sore spot against a much weaker opponent.
The Tribe’s first goal came in the 62nd minute when midfielder Aidan Morrison corralled a long pass from defender Evan Rabush and tucked it past the Pack’s junior goalkeeper Logan Erb. It appeared to be a miscommunication between Erb and redshirt sophomore center back Isaac Heffess that resulted in the goal.
Morrison’s goal brought the Tribe within one early on in the second half as William & Mary attempted to make a comeback late against the Wolfpack. Fifth-year midfielder Junior Nare scored his second goal of the season in the 33rd minute, giving the Pack some breathing room even when the Tribe scored its first of the game.
NC State responded in the 81st minute to re-establish its two-goal lead. Graduate defender Will Noecker scored his first in the red-and-white, taking advantage of a misplaced header in the box.
Karamoko’s second goal of the night in the 84th minute gave the Pack a brief three-goal lead before the Tribe brought it back down to two in the 85th minute. Midfielder Gabe Ruitenberg, on one of his four shots, beat Erb to the far post on a shot taken from just inside 18 yards.
With the last non-conference game completed, the Wolfpack has two more ACC games before it kicks off postseason competition. NC State will face Louisville next, a team that has yet to win a game in conference thus far this season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sunday.
