The No. 45 NC State men’s soccer team will be playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009, against first-round opponent No. 28 Old Dominion.
The Wolfpack, which finished 8-5-4 overall and 3-3-2 in the ACC on the regular season and lost in the first round of the ACC tournament in overtime to Virginia Tech, will face off against the Monarchs (12-5-2, 9-2 C-USA).
NC State was led in goals in the regular season by freshman forward Manny Perez who had 5 on 17 shots. Perez has become a major component of NC State’s offense this year as he is the receiver of a lot of balls out to the left. He is also capable of both creating his own shots and passing it into the middle, shown by his four assists.
Freshman goalkeeper Leon Krapf played every minute for NC State this season giving up just over a goal per game and posting an impressive seven shutouts behind a great defensive team, who did a good job limiting the other teams’ opportunities to score and forcing bad shots that Krapf could easily save.
Freshman defender David Norris, freshman midfielder Brad Sweeney and freshman forward David Loera missed a combined one game all season. Norris is a defender and a key cog in the backline that helps Krapf a great deal.
Sweeney is a midfielder who has both great defensive skills and some good talent on offense as well marked by his two assists. Loera and Perez were the engines to the offense, creating many of the chances the team got with the two combining for six goals and nine assists.
Although the Wolfpack has gotten a lot of help from freshmen this season, there is no lack of experience on this squad.
Senior midfielder Julius Duchsherer is the captain and second on the team with four goals this season. Juniors Christoph Schneuwly and Simon Blotko are also great defenders who are mainstays in the lineup due to their skills and experience.
NC State this season played very well against some very tough competition in the ACC which includes two wins against top-five teams and four wins against top-39 RPI teams. A top-eight finish in what is arguably the toughest conference in men’s college soccer is very impressive for a team with a first-year head coach, a lot of new faces and a brutal schedule.
Old Dominion is a tough opponent who is on a four-game shutout streak and are champions of Conference USA. The game will be held in Norfolk, Virginia, where the Monarchs are 10-2-2 so far this season, outscoring their opponents 25-15 and winning eight of their last nine home games.
Old Dominion is led by forward Max Wilschrey who has seven goals on the season. The combination of Wilschrey and midfielders Brandon Perdue, Sebastian Hauret and Niko Klosterhalfen have 23 of the team’s 33 goals this season. In goal, Mertcan Akar has gotten nine shutouts and boasts a .763 save percentage, allowing just over one goal per game for the Monarchs.
The key to this game will be whichever team’s strength will prevail, NC State’s defense or Old Dominions offense; both have been very good this year. NC State will need one of its forwards to produce a goal on Akar, which over the past month has been no easy task, but Perez and Loera have been magical at times this season providing the spark NC State needs.
The winner of this game will go on to face No. 4 Indiana in the second round Nov. 19.
