What went wrong this year with the NC State women’s soccer team?
The Wolfpack’s (3-9-6, 2-5-3 ACC) 2023 schedule wasn’t an easy one, especially with so many ACC teams being nationally ranked when NC State took them on. The last time the red-and-white had under five wins in a season was in 2015, when it won only four matches. An inability to show up for a full match and a sluggish offense put the Pack in one of its worst seasons in recent years.
This year, the Pack scraped just three wins off its opponents, two of which came later in the season against ACC opponents. The three-game streak was the most exciting of the season because the Wolfpack held its own against Virginia and held onto that momentum against Miami and Syracuse. Wins were needed at that point of the season, with the Pack holding an 11-game winless streak going into the Virginia matchup.
The Pack recorded six draws that broke up its losing streaks. Draws still bring conference points, but NC State needed to capitalize on more of its late-game offense to pull in a few more wins. There were plenty of opportunities, but the follow through just wasn’t there for the red-and-white in the majority of its matchups.
The Wolfpack is good at going hard offensively for short bursts and relying on its defense to step up and hold off opponents as long as it can. However, in the ACC and against some non-conference opponents, a full 90 minutes of intense, calculated play is necessary for a winning record. The Pack needs to get better at showing up for a full game. Too often this season, the NC State offense either started very strong and petered out later on or took the entire game to warm up before scoring at the last second.
The Pack’s opponents put up 300 shot attempts to its 150 alongside only earning 0.89 goals per game to its opponents’ 1.83 goals. NC State will need to focus on keeping the ball to itself and getting in scoring position more often than it was able to this year. Matchups should be taken one goal at a time, with focus placed on an offensive push for a full 90 minutes. Opponents of the Wolfpack have long, aggressive offensive drives that NC State should be aiming to replicate.
With all that being said, there were some key contributors to the little success the Pack felt. Senior forward Jameese Joseph led the team’s offensive efforts throughout the season. Joseph led with 42 total shots and 15 shots on goal this year and was one of the top scorers with seven points.
Freshman forward Jade Bordeleau led the team’s freshman class with two goals and 15 shots in 18 games played. Bordeleau sticking with NC State will be essential for offensive play, but she’ll need support from the rest of the offensive unit to truly make this team successful.
Junior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas assumed the starting position after an early season leg injury took senior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta out of commission for the year. Pratapas played 15 games this year and recorded 70 saves in that time.
Moving into the offseason, it will be interesting to see what happens with the Pack’s roster and training. It will need to push its offensive unit to see some fire on the field next season for longer than 15 minutes a game. A steady and strong offense will be necessary to see more success next season.
