What Happened?The team traveled to Maryland on Friday expecting to play at 8 p.m. However, because of a wet field, the game was postponed until Saturday evening, and the Terrapins shut out N.C. State (5-6-3, 1-4-1 ACC). The Wolfpack fired just one shot on goal, compared to 11 by Maryland.

The strength of four second-half goals propelled the Terrapins to a 5-0 victory. Senior El Hadj Cisse called the loss “embarrassing,” and coach George Tarantini said there were no excuses for the sub-par play of the team.

“We could not defend very well, and we could not maintain position,” Tarantini said. “The delay took a toll on us. It was a tough situation, and we lost focus.”

Who’s Hot?Sophomores Alan Sanchez and Jorge Mora lead the team with nine points apiece. The two players have accumulated one goal each and seven assists each so far this season. Despite the team’s defensive struggles in the game against Maryland, Tarantini said he was impressed with the play of goalkeeper Christopher Widman. The redshirt junior has collected 60 saves on the year.

Who’s Not?Saturday’s loss to the Terrapins marked the second ACC game in which State has been shut out this season. The Pack failed to score a goal against No. 2 Wake Forest on Oct. 13, falling 5-0 in that contest. Senior Hugh Cronin said the defense needs to be more organized in order to prevent another blowout like the one that occurred at Maryland.

“We really struggled on set pieces and messed up size-wise,” Cronin said. “They were big, and we struggled to win balls in the air. That’s how they scored their first three goals.”

What’s Next?The team hosts Gardner-Webb in a non-ACC match-up today at 2 p.m. at Method Road Stadium.

After practice on Tuesday night, Tarantini said he was impressed with the improvements the team had made since the most recent shutout.

“We have to do better,” he said. “I hope tomorrow is the beginning.”