BUIES CREEK, N.C. — NC State women’s soccer took another faulty step in the course of its early season stumble, falling 2-1 at Campbell in its first road test of the 2024 season.
After a scoreless draw in the season opener against App State and a 1-0 loss to ECU shortly after, the Wolfpack entered its third straight intrastate match still searching for its first goal of the season. While NC State (0-2-1) found some contempt with its first score, a prevailing feeling of misery had fully sunk in by the end of the 2-1 result against the Camels (1-1-1).
Despite dominating in the midfield, outshooting its opponents 23-6 and firing off 13 corners to its opponents’ zero, the red-and-white shrunk in the final third of both ends of the field.
Between failed attacking chances, a careless clearance that resulted in an early 1-0 deficit and more, head coach Tim Santoro made his thoughts on his team’s performance loud and clear.
“We were dogsh– in the final 20 yards at both ends of the field,” Santoro said. “We did whatever we wanted in the middle of the field, but we can’t score. And they come in our box twice and score, and the first goal was a clown show. So until we clean that up, we’re not going to win a game.”
On one end, NC State missed chance after chance, failing to connect the dots until the Camels engineered a daunting 2-0 lead. A whopping 23 shots and 13 corners wasn’t enough to score more than one goal against Campbell, who let in seven combined goals in its first two games of the season.
On the other end, the Wolfpack committed just two errors all night — both extremely costly. The first came in the 33rd minute when a high-arcing Campbell cross came dangerously close to the pair of graduate defender Alivia Kelly and junior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas.
As Pratapas successfully defended the ensuing Campbell shot, Kelly’s clearance quickly turned into a nightmarish scene for the visiting team. Kelly fired her kick directly into the path of Campbell forward Kaleigh Backlund who smashed the opener into the back of the empty NC State net.
Santoro said while his squad performed well in the middle third of the field, NC State’s mistakes in the final third were the difference-maker in the match.
“I think they had two entries into our box — full entries,” Santoro said. “One’s a penalty, one’s what you saw on the first goal.”
The last error came in the second half when Campbell got its one and only chance of the night to slip past the Pack’s back line. With a clear attack on goal, graduate defender Paige Tolentino committed a last-ditch defensive effort, causing a penalty that earned Campbell a penalty kick. The Camels easily slotted the attempt home, doubling their lead in the 59th minute of the bout in Buies Creek.
NC State repeatedly engineered chances on the Campbell goal on the other end of the pitch. But like the first half, its lack of follow-through was its undoing. Close to two dozen attempts and more than a dozen corner kicks resulted in just one goal — a header smashed in by junior defender Taylor Chism off a corner kick assist from Tolentino. Chism’s goal broke the red-and-white’s four-game streak without scoring a goal.
The Pack’s 71st minute goal cut the deficit in half. While NC State had opportunities to find the equalizer, it still failed to convert on the offensive side.
Ultimately, the Pack fell 2-1, snapping NC State’s 17-game, all-time undefeated streak against the Camels.
Heading into the second and final leg of the Pack’s road trip, Santoro put emphasis on finding quality play in front of both goals and especially on scoring them.
“We got to be better in front of both goals and play like we did in the [midfield],” Santoro said.
“We’ll be fine, but if we don’t clean it up and find goals, we’re not going to win games.”
NC State will face off with VCU on Sunday in Richmond, Virginia at 1 p.m.
