NC State women’s soccer hit the field for the first time this season, falling 1-0 in an exhibition match against VCU.
The afternoon heat at Dail Soccer Stadium didn’t do the Wolfpack any favors, but NC State got off to a slow start in its 2023 season against the Rams. A revamped, yet injured, squad took the field and showed up staunt on defense throughout the match. However, a 64th minute penalty kick from VCU’s Anna Bagley ultimately made the difference in the exhibition.
Injuries inevitably play a part on every team’s season, but after recently losing senior midfielder Jaiden Thomas to a season-ending injury in practice, the Wolfpack is desperate to get healthy — especially in the midfield.
Junior midfielder Emika Kawagishi is still rehabbing from her own season-ending injury from last season and expectedly saw no action against the Rams. In addition, freshman midfielder Rosalie Olou suffered a minor injury in the first half, forcing head coach, Tim Santoro, to piece his middle third together with players that wouldn’t usually play there.
“We lose three [midfielders] so you start to mix and match and put people in different spots, which was good for a scrimmage,” Santoro said. “But you hope you can get away from that when we get into the regular season.”
While the Wolfpack’s still dealing with the injury bug, many players got a chance to pick up where they left off from last season or make their debut in the red-and-white.
Similar to last season, senior forwards Jameese Joseph and Leyah Hall-Robinson were the main drivers of the Pack’s attack. While Joseph unsurprisingly created a majority of NC State’s offensive pressure, the All-ACC forward failed to convert on some crucial chances down the stretch that could have drastically changed the outcome of the match.
Joining Joseph and Hall-Robinson in the attacking third were freshman forwards Hannah Jibril and Jade Bordeleau, who got some quality playing time alongside their senior counterparts.
Defensively, replacing veteran defenders Jenna Butler and Lulu Guttenberger was never going to be easy, but NC State’s back line blocked shots and made tackles when needed against VCU. Junior defender Fernanda Soto didn’t skip a beat from last season, aggressively pursuing the ball, creating turnovers and propelling the offense as she worked the edge of the field. While that aggression resulted in a 10th-minute yellow card for the junior, Soto reminded everyone she’ll be one of the Pack’s most valuable assets as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, senior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta assumed her usual spot between the posts against VCU, while junior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas got the second half start.
With everyone getting their time to compete in a full-sided match, the chance for NC State’s roster to hit the pitch before the Pack’s season-opener against Utah gave Santoro a chance to experiment and observe his squad before the season officially starts.
“There’s a lot of positives and a lot of things we got to try,” Santoro said. “It sucks that we had to lose the game while doing it. But again, the concern isn’t the soccer part. It’s that we’ve got to get healthy, soon, and sometimes that you don’t control.”
Injuries will undoubtedly play a major part in the Pack’s 2023 season, but for now, all eyes are set on the red-and-white’s season-opening match against the Utes in less than a week.
“It was great for what we wanted it for,” Santoro said. “We just hate losing — the fact they scored and we didn’t — but other than that, it’s what we needed. We’re gonna train again tomorrow and get ready for Thursday.”
With a productive exhibition in the rear-view mirror, kickoff against Utah is set for 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 17.
