Wins were hard to come by this week for NC State Athletics, with the Pack collectively tallying just three victories in seven games — one apiece for volleyball, men’s soccer and football.
Women’s soccer records two draws
NC State women’s soccer has had a rough month of competition, but with two draws against tough teams, the Wolfpack appears to be slowly climbing out of its rut. This past week, the Pack tied with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina before shutting out No. 16 Duke in Durham.
Against the Demon Deacons, the Wolfpack struck first but failed to hang on to its lead. Tensions ran high in this contest, with 11 yellow cards handed out in the second half alone. NC State earned a red card in the last 10 minutes of play, putting the team down one player and allowing Wake Forest the advantage it needed to even the score.
In Durham, the red-and-white didn’t let the Blue Devils’ top-20 ranking scare it and stepped up its level of play accordingly. Junior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas recorded the first shutout of the Pack’s 2023 season and the first of her career, aided by junior defender Brianna Weber and sophomore defender Taylor Chism.
Read more about the Pack’s heated contest at Wake Forest.
Read more about the Pack’s tie with the Blue Devils.
Volleyball splits two matches
NC State volleyball opened ACC play this week, defeating Clemson in three straight sets but falling 3-1 to No. 13 Georgia Tech. The Pack’s win over the Tigers extended its win streak to a whopping 10 games before the Yellow Jackets ended the historic run.
However, the red-and-white still has plenty to be proud of after knocking off a set against a nationally ranked Georgia Tech squad. In this matchup, NC Stateproved its ability to hang with the best teams in the nation and established itself as a new force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
Read more about the red-and-white’s sweep against Clemson.
Read more about the Pack’s battle against Georgia Tech.
Men’s soccer wins at home, loses on the road
NC State men’s soccer beat North Florida 1-0 to remain undefeated at home before going on the road to take on the No. 10 Louisville Cardinals. Despite its best efforts, the Wolfpack was no match for the nationally ranked Cardinals and ultimately lost 5-2. The Pack’s three goals this week came courtesy of junior midfielder Will Buete at home and junior forward Luke Hille and freshman right wing Hakim Karamoko against the Cardinals.
Read more about the red-and-white’s narrow victory over North Florida.
Read more about the Pack’s loss to Louisville.
Football scrapes past Virginia
NC State football was forced to play in the pouring rain for the second time this season, but this time, it emerged victorious. Freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion shined in his ACC debut, leading the team with 116 yards and accounting for two of the Pack’s touchdowns.
Virginia gave the red-and-white a run for its money for the majority of the game, but as the final minutes ticked off the clock in the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack asserted its dominance.
Redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown and junior cornerback Aydan White both recorded critical interceptions in the fourth quarter, keeping the lead out of the Cavaliers’ grasp and giving graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong the opportunity he needed to move the offense down the field and into field goal range.
Graduate kicker Brayden Narveson took care of business from there, knocking in a 15-yard field goal to seal the game.
