After years of reaching the second and third rounds of the NCAA tournament, a loss at home via penalty kicks was the last way that NC State women’s soccer wanted to end the 2022 season.  

The Wolfpack brought it all to Dail Soccer Field that day against UCF but couldn’t put away the Knights in regulation. Minutes later, the visitors sealed the Wolfpack’s fate with one final penalty kick, sending the team off the pitch with a gut-wrenching defeat to wrestle with in the offseason.

“To not win it in a game I thought we were comfortable in [hurts],” said head coach, Tim Santoro. “I thought we were really up and down during the year, but I thought we were pretty good that day. … I didn’t really feel threatened that much that day [against UCF]. So we were disappointed to lose the game, and you see them go give UCLA a really good game, that really pours salt in the wound.”

But after nine months of reflecting, training, coping with crucial personnel losses and welcoming key additions, the Wolfpack is feeling brand new and ready to take on whatever comes as it prepares for its 2023 season.

“It feels fresh,” said senior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta. “That’s what I’ve been saying the whole preseason, everyone is like, ‘How do you feel? How does the team feel?’ It feels fresh. It feels new, rejuvenated.” 

So what’s made this season feel so fresh for the Wolfpack? A large part of it can be chalked up to personnel changes, both on and off the field. Santoro’s mission over the offseason has been revitalizing his locker room with a handful of changes to both the roster and professional staff and a noticeable emphasis on team-building.

“The x’s and o’s and the soccer is always the easy part,” Santoro said. “But we’ve done some things to mesh the team a little better [this offseason]. Six changes to the roster, and there’s two new staff members. … I think it’s something that will, in the long run, help with the stuff that you need to have in a good team unit that is away from the field, and it’s been great. This preseason has been phenomenal so far.”

Five new freshmen naturally have a big effect on that fresh feeling. Although, it’s always a tall task when you have to replace two players like veteran defenders Lulu Guttenberger and Jenna Butler, who made the back third of the field a no-fly zone for opposing teams for years on end.

However, losing the likes of Guttenberger and Butler may end up as addition by subtraction for NC State, especially in the locker room.

“When you lose two players that have been here for five or six years in Lulu and Jenna, sometimes they can suppress some people coming out and being themselves, I think,” Santoro said. “As much as we hate to lose them, I think that’s allowed some other individuals to come out and lead and have a voice, and sometimes it’s healthy for that change in your team.”

Replacing Butler and Guttenberger might be Santoro’s biggest task tactically, but players such as Echezarreta have continued to evolve as leaders over the team-oriented offseason. 

“This last season, I think my leadership has taken a completely different approach,” Echezarreta said. “I kind of took a step back to let people around me grow, to just not be alone in doing things that are hard. I need people around me to grow with me. So taking that step back has helped me see things from a different perspective.”

New freshmen — such as forwards Hannah Jibril and Jade Bordeleau and midfielder Rosalie Olou — are set to feed off Echezerreta’s cooperative style of leadership. Meanwhile, others like junior defender Fernanda Soto are looking to pick right back up from where they left off in terms of play from last season.

Soto’s fiery and energetic style of soccer makes her a handful for other teams to deal with, and she’s one of the Pack’s best returning assets for 2023.

“I love her energy,” Santoro said. “She’s just so locked in and just engaged. Her emotions sometimes can get on the high side — you want to control it, but you don’t want to turn it off because that’s what makes her. She has a high engine, she’s good on the ball, can play multiple positions and everyone notices her when we play.”

Perhaps NC State’s best returner is senior forward Jameese Joseph. The All-ACC attacker steals the show when she’s got the ball. As a relentless, creative and dangerous attacker, Joseph’s a walking highlight reel and paced the Pack with eight goals last season. The question isn’t if Joseph will score goals, it’s who else around her will be able to score.

“We’re a good passing team — that’s always been the key — but it’s at both ends,” Santoro said. “Can we find a centerback pairing that solidifies [our defense], and we can score goals other than Jameese. … If we can find 15-20 goals outside of Jameese, and she can put up her normal numbers, and you have a group in the back that’s solid, we’ll be a good team.” 

Finding goal scorers outside of Joseph was NC State’s biggest struggle in 2022, so it’s no surprise Santoro’s focused on helping his star striker out as much as possible. Fellow senior forwards Leyah Hall-Robinson and Alexis Strickland will once again play crucial roles in generating chances this season, and after finding themselves in the offseason, the Wolfpack is optimistic about its attacking odds this season. 

“I’m excited to see us scoring some goals,” Echezarreta said. “It’s been rough for us to score goals last season. And it’s not because we don’t have the potential, it’s not because we don’t have the players, we do have them. It’s just that the chemistry bond has been missing, and I think we’re finding it.”

With a more flexible offense thanks to promising additions like Jibril, NC State will have more ways to score outside of Joseph, potentially alleviating some of the stress of a rigorous ACC schedule that includes national superpowers like UNC, Duke and more. 

“I’m very excited to be in my goal, just with my hands out, smiling, seeing my whole team running to hug someone because they just scored,” Echezaretta said. “It’s one of the best feelings ever.” 

However, it all hasn’t been smooth sailing in terms of health so far for NC State. The red-and-white have already lost senior midfielder Jaiden Thomas to a season-ending injury in training, and with All-ACC junior midfielder Emika Kawagishi still recovering from her own season-ending injury from last season, Santoro’s midfield is looking thin. 

But even with the injuries, NC State’s revamped roster has the opportunity to forge their own destiny in 2023, especially with many of the Pack’s key players from its postseason peak having moved on.

“I’m excited to see how they bounce back from last year,” Santoro said. “…We had a really good stretch from 2016 to 2019, and that group has left, and I’ve challenged this team. … ‘What are you guys going to do? What are you guys going to do to add to that?’ I’ve challenged them a little bit. W, we’ll see how they respond to that.”

While the team had time to experiment in its recent exhibition against VCU, its first true chance to respond will come Thursday, Aug. 17 at Dail Soccer Stadium. Kickoff against Utah is set for 7 p.m., where the Wolfpack is looking to make their mark on the team’s legacy.