NC State women’s soccer stopped its four-game losing skid with a 2-2 draw against High Point on the Wolfpack’s senior night at Dail Soccer Stadium in Raleigh.
The Panthers (2-3-4) took it to the red-and-white on senior night, battling back with two rapid-fire second half goals after the Wolfpack (1-4-3) established an early 1-0 lead. NC State landed the equalizing goal in the 76th minute thanks to senior forward Alexis Strickland but couldn’t find a third goal to down High Point.
Before the Wolfpack kicked off, NC State celebrated four of its seniors for senior night. Senior forward Mia Vaughan and senior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta were celebrated among others.
“It’s a fun night to celebrate them,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “In a way you’re saying goodbye, so that part of it’s never easy. But you always enjoy having the families and the kids here and it’s always a fun, special night for the team.”
Once the festivities ended, Strickland quickly drew a penalty kick after a one-on-one with the High Point keeper. The Pack capitalized on the early opportunity, with midfielder Annika Wohner driving home the ensuing penalty kick for her second goal of the season and the Pack’s first of the night.
While NC State kept the pressure going for the remainder of the first half, the Pack let its foot off the gas after halftime, leaving room for the Panthers to claw their way back into the contest.
Soon enough, High Point scored the equalizer in the 52nd minute and the go-ahead goal just eight minutes later to quickly turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.
“Great first half,” Santoro said. “[We] had the lead and should have had more. … It’s something different that creeps in each game, and it’s been a tough stretch, and they did a good job of battling back. But we shouldn’t have been in that position today.”
Despite the deficit, NC State didn’t back down. The Wolfpack ramped its intensity back up when it needed to and found the equalizer with more offensive help from Strickland as the senior scored her third goal of the season in the 76th minute.
Both squads desperately looked for the winner in the final 10 minutes of the match, but neither found the back of the net, making for a final score of 2-2.
While the Wolfpack rebounded from its four-game losing streak, Strickland said she felt as if the team left a win on the table, especially considering its promising start and its tough level of competition for the remainder of the season.
“I think we just need to reflect and keep going because we definitely want more than a tie,” Strickland said. “I think this team is capable of so much more. So we definitely need to reflect as a team and look forward to Pitt on Sunday.”
It won’t get any easier for the Wolfpack moving forward. NC State is slated to begin conference play on Sunday, Sept. 17 against Pitt. With a slew of strong opponents after — such as Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill — the red-and-white is solely focused on Sunday’s match.
“You just think about the next [game],” Santoro said. “We’ll get ready for Pitt. That’s really all we’re thinking about. But we’ve played the schedule we played to be prepared for that. So I hope we are.”
Kickoff against Pitt is set for 2 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium.
