After a four-game conference road stretch in which the team lost three out of four matches, the NC State women’s soccer team will continue its conference slate when it returns to Raleigh and hosts Syracuse on Saturday.
The Wolfpack owns a record of 9-4-1 (2-3-1 ACC) while the Orange sit at 7-5-2 (2-3-1 ACC).
The last time out, the Wolfpack ended its three-game skid as it defeated Pittsburgh, 3-2, thanks to two goals and an assist by junior forward Maxine Blackwood and a score by junior midfielder Taylor Porter. The previous three games before facing the Panthers were not kind to the Pack, as the squad fell to ranked teams in Duke, Florida State and Notre Dame on the road.
Fortunately for the Wolfpack, it returns home to face the Orange. State is 5-1-1 at home and defeated Boston College the last time it took the field at Dail.
In Syracuse, the Pack will face a squad that claimed its only conference win against Pittsburgh while dropping a 7-0 result to UNC-Chapel Hill last month. The Orange, however, have tied two ranked squads, Clemson and Connecticut, but dropped a match to Colgate.
The Wolfpack does not face any more ranked teams this season, but a win in this match would put head coach Tim Santoro’s team in good position for the postseason, including the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
Sophomore midfielders Tziarra King and Ricci Walkling have paced the team this season. King has scored 19 points while Walkling has eight to her name, including three goals. Junior goalkeeper Sydney Wootten has also been a critical part of the team, recording 33 saves and a 1.13 goals against average.
Syracuse’s Sydney Brackett leads the team with 10 points, all of which have come from her five goals this season. Orange goalie Courtney Brosnan leads the ACC with a .837 save percentage and 5.14 saves per game, and will be a tough matchup for any team, including the Wolfpack.
For the Pack to win, it will need to continue peppering the goal with shots. State has outshot opponents 157-111 on the season, and has also put 13 more shots on goal than the opposition.
If State comes out on top, it would be its 10th victory of the season. The team will take on a solid Clemson team in Raleigh after the match against Syracuse, then go on the road to play Virginia Tech.
The match will take place at Dail Soccer Stadium at 2 p.m.
