NC State men’s soccer went 6-9-3 in its 2023 season, ending with a loss to an aggressive Syracuse team in the first round of the ACC tournament.
The fall started off on a hopeful note for the red-and-white, which performed very well in all three of its exhibition matches. The aggressiveness and grit that is common amongst the more successful teams at NC State was head coach George Kiefer’s main focus in training during the off-season. Kiefer pushed that blue-collar mentality on the team throughout the season, mentioning it in times where the Pack showed its full abilities.
The Wolfpack did a good job early on in preparing for its matchups. When prepared, the squad was able to easily identify its opponents’ weaknesses and capitalize on them. For example, NC State played wide against Boston College as the Pack knew that that would leave its opposition’s defense open and vulnerable. The red-and-white shut out the Eagles 2-0.
NC State gained plenty of early season momentum from its successful exhibition campaign. To top it off, the red-and-white could rely on its fans to show up to Dail Soccer Field and bring the energy for its home matchups. Every one of the Pack’s six wins this year came in a home matchup. The squad was comfortable on its own turf and was prepared to defend it well.
The Pack hit its slump against then-No. 15 Notre Dame, kicking off a four-game losing streak. Three out of the four losses were against nationally-ranked ACC opponents. The ACC was a powerhouse this season in the national rankings, leaving NC State to grasp for its one in-conference win, five losses and two draws.
When NC State fell into a slump halfway through the season, Kiefer didn’t give up. He pushed a growth mentality that showed that he saw hope in NC State’s performance against more difficult opponents. Kiefer noted that a cleaner defense and playing tighter when the ball is out of the Pack’s hands would give it that extra push to put pressure on some of the ACC opponents that gave the red-and-white issues.
Junior forward Luke Hille led the Wolfpack with seven goals and 16 shots on goal out of 34 total shots this season. Hille stood out offensively in almost every matchup, capitalizing on offensive opportunities as soon as he saw them. Junior midfielder Will Buete secured multiple last-minute goals for the Pack in crucial matchups, including putting in the goal that made the squad draw against Clemson. NC State has two solid seniors going into the 2024 fall season that are aggressive on the scoring third of the pitch.
The red-and-white also found an offensive strength with freshman midfielder Hakim Karamoko. Karamoko had eight shots on goal this year and four goals in his freshman season. With another off-season of training and the presence of Hille and Buete, Karamoko is shaping up to be a powerhouse for NC State.
Leaving the Pack this year is Kiefer and graduate defender Kendall Edwards. Edwards finally earned his first goal after five years of defending for NC State. His standout aggression on the defensive third of the pitch will have to be matched by a tighter defensive unit for the Pack next season.
Kiefer will also be leaving after seven seasons at NC State, with a record of 49-52-23.
