On a rainy day in Syracuse, the Wolfpack collected its fourth ACC point of the season after it battled hard with the Orange to secure a 1-1 tie.

In its penultimate regular season game, NC State (6-8-2, 1-5-1 ACC) held off No. 22 Syracuse (7-3-5, 2-1-4 ACC) in the final minutes to escape on equal terms. All game long the Pack struggled to sustain any pressure in the attacking half, only managing two shots compared to the Orange’s 18.

In a quiet game for the red-and-white, it was an especially quiet first half. Syracuse held NC State shotless in the first frame, the fourth time it’s done so to an opponent all season. The Wolfpack looked comfortable playing out of its own half as the Orange dominated the midfield play.

NC State’s defensive posture put the onus on opening this game up to Syracuse, which was undoubtedly seeking more than a draw with the ACC tournament looming. Six minutes into the second half, the deadlock was finally broken when freshman right wing Hakim Karamoko slotted the ball into the bottom corner off a brilliant solo effort.

With Karamoko’s second-half opening goal, the Wolfpack looked to hold on to its one-goal lead and secure its first ACC road win since 2019. Despite NC State’s hopes, the reigning NCAA champs wouldn’t leave this game without a fight, and the intensity ramped up quickly.

Syracuse started pushing players more and more forward, and NC State tried everything to bend and not break. After earning just one corner in the first half, the Orange amassed 10 in the second.

The Wolfpack’s freshman goalkeeper Samuel Terranova was put to the test in the second half, and he delivered. The third goalie NC State has fielded this year, Terranova made six saves in the second half, doing everything he could and more to keep the ball out of the net.

While the Pack was doing everything it could to hang on to the lead, eventually Syracuse got the lucky bounce it needed to level the score. Terranova made a sliding save, but the ball bounced immediately back into the net off of NC State’s junior midfielder Vusumzi Plamana.

This fortunate bounce for the Orange gave new life to the squad, and the pressure only continued to mount on the Pack. Syracuse graduate defender Pablo Pedregosa, a transfer from NC State, almost scored a goal of his own but was blocked by his own teammate with just minutes remaining.

In the final minutes of the game, NC State cleared the ball downfield every chance it got, but Syracuse kept finding a way to get the ball back in dangerous areas. After one last defensive hold, the final whistle blew and the Wolfpack held on to a hard-fought point against the No. 22-ranked Orange.

NC State will take on No. 15 Clemson at home Friday, Oct. 27 in its last regular season game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.