Prior to the beginning of the season, the men’s soccer team was picked to finish last in the ACC in the coaches’ preseason poll. Heading into the ACC Tournament, N.C. State (6-8-3, 1-6-1) has done just that.
After falling 2-0 in its final game of the season against the Blue Devils on Saturday, the Wolfpack now sits alone at the bottom of the ACC.
No. 9 seed State will face No. 8 seed Virginia (10-6-2, 1-5-2), today at 1 p.m., in a game that will determine the final spot in the ACC Tournament at the SAS Soccer Stadium in Cary. If the Pack secures a victory in the contest, they will go on to face No. 1 seed Boston College at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Fortunately for the team, it has not lost to the Cavaliers this season. In the regular season match-up between the teams, State tied then-ranked No. 3 Virginia, 2-2. According to coach George Tarantini, the Pack’s game plan includes stifling the quick offensive strike of the Cavaliers.
“Virginia is an excellent team,” he said. “We cannot let them come behind us, because they are pretty quick. We have to contain them in the middle. That’s what we’re looking for.”
The team is also looking to ignite its offense after enduring six shutouts this season — five to ACC schools. In a last-ditch effort to create a scoring presence, the team will feature a different line-up heading into the contest with the Cavaliers.
Starting midfielder Jorge Mora did not play in the game against Duke, was not at practice on Monday “because of different issues”, according to Tarantini, and is not likely to be in the line-up.
Tarantini is now “looking to give everybody an opportunity to play,” in what could be the last game of the year for State.
“Right now, we don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “We’re trying to see if we can have a different idea about who can be the guy to score some goals.”
So far this season, State has been unable to rely on any one player to be a consistent scoring threat. Forward El Hadj Cisse leads the team with five goals — but 10 other players have scored at least one goal.
The inconsistent offensive attack has not been the only achilles heel for the Pack this year. Its defense has struggled at times, specifically against ACC teams, allowing five goals against both Wake Forest and Maryland — a loss that defender Hugh Cronin called “embarrassing.”
After starting off the year with a 2-2 decision against No. 1 UCLA, State has “given a lot of ACC games away,” according to Cisse. The Pack also failed to secure wins against several non-conference opponents this season, including a loss to Radford on a goal scored in the final five seconds.
But now the regular season is finished, a “brand new season” is about to begin with the start of the ACC tournament, according to Tarantini.
“We cannot keep losing hope, because we need only one win,” he said. “The most important thing right now is to finish the plan. We’re going to be ready and prepared to play Virginia. We’re still working and we’re still believing.”
