The No. 22 ranked NC State men’s soccer team held No. 4 Wake Forest to a 0-0 draw Friday night at Dail Soccer Stadium after two scoreless overtime periods.
In its last three games, the Wolfpack (6-2-3, 1-1-3 ACC) has come away with just as many draws, with this tie against the Demon Deacons (9-1-2, 3-0-2 ACC) being the most notable.
Wake Forest has not lost on the road this season and has only lost once at home, against Elon. NC State has yet to lose at home this year and was looking to keep this record intact and potentially break Wake’s unbeaten road record.
Although the Pack failed to break the Demon Deacons’ unbeaten run, it nearly stole the match late when sophomore forward Ade Taiwo broke in on goal in the second overtime period, but his shot was blocked by the keeper. However, a shutout against one of the nation’s hottest offenses has the Pack perfectly positioned to finally grab a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“We shut out the No. 1 RPI team in the country and got another point in the ACC,” head coach Kelly Findley said. “We’ve been telling our guys this is the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Everybody we’ve played in the last two weeks will be there, including us. This is what it looks like.”
From the opening whistle, Wake started on the front foot. The Demon Deacons looked composed, keeping possession in their half and looking dangerous in the final third, propelled forward by the power of sophomore Kris Reaves on the right and the pace of freshman Jack Harrison on the left.
The Demon Deacons’ talented midfield was heavily involved in the first half, and if not for a few key Wolfpack steals, the game could have been put away early.
The most decisive moment came late in the first half from a Wake attack down the right side when a pass into the box led to a shot off the inside of the post by junior midfielder Ian Harkes. The ball rolled perilously across goal and was eventually cleared out of the danger area.
However, NC State settled down as the half went on, and the senior-led defense repelled most of the Deacons’ attacks before springing the Pack’s forwards on the counter attack. At halftime, however, neither team had an advantage, with the game knotted at 0-0.
The Wolfpack looked a rejuvenated side in the second half, outshooting the Demon Deacons 9-7, after being outshot 5-1 in the first half.
Redshirt senior forward Philip Carmon and freshman right back Simon Blotko had successive chances midway through the second half, both of which came within inches of hitting the target, and both of which could have dramatically changed the outcome of this game.
Despite the misses, the positive signs shown by the Pack brought the crowd into the game, and the team rode that energy until the end of regulation.
The Wolfpack’s back four were phenomenal in overtime and the game as a whole, not allowing a single shot in OT and never showing signs of breaking down against an offense that has scored 31 goals so far this season.
Senior Holden Fender, who has forged a tremendous partnership with his former club teammate and fellow senior Reed Norton, had more chances than anyone on the team, with all three of his shots placed on frame.
“In the past we’ve gotten results against teams like this, but it’s been against the run of play,” Fender said. “This year I think we’re playing with a lot more confidence and a lot more belief that we actually are good enough to beat these teams.”
NC State almost won it with six minutes remaining when Taiwo received the ball in Wake’s half and took on three defenders, but he rolled the ball just a little too far, allowing Wake Forest keeper Alec Ferrell to close down the angle and block his shot, and the match ended without a tally for either side.
Wolfpack senior goalkeeper Alex McCauley contributed one of his finer performances of the year, making six saves, one shy of his season record set Aug. 28 against Furman. The shutout was his third of the year and ninth of his career.
The Wolfpack will face South Carolina at home in its next match Tuesday at 7 p.m.
