The NC State men’s soccer team will face one of its toughest matchups of the season when it hosts fifth-ranked Clemson Friday. The Tigers are off to a hot 4-0 start, with big wins against in-state rival South Carolina and an exciting overtime win against Georgia Southern.
The Wolfpack has only played two regular season games because its most recent matchup against LIU Brooklyn was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Pack is 1-1 in its first two games, winning its home opener against Florida Atlantic and losing a heartbreaker in overtime at William and Mary.
The team dug itself into a hole against the Tribe from William and Mary, allowing goals in the 29thand 63rd minutes. But the Pack showed life with a goal from junior Clayton Sparks off an assist from senior Ade Taiwo. The spark brought the Pack within one, and just minutes later freshman Manny Perez scored off another Taiwo assist. After the exciting comeback, neither team could end it in regulation and the game moved to overtime.
In overtime, the Tribe immediately scored with a beautiful header from Julian Ngoh. Despite the great comeback effort, the Pack fell 3-2.
With the loss, the Wolfpack will have to mentally bounce back in order to prepare for the talented Tigers. The team controlled much of the early possession against the Tribe but made mistakes that led to goal-scoring opportunities for its opponent.
Despite having fewer chances, the Tribe capitalized while the Wolfpack did not. For example, the first goal for the Tribe came from a poor NC State defensive clearance that gave up the ball in their own defensive area, where the Tribe put it away from only 15 yards away. The Tigers are certainly good enough to create their own opportunities, and the game may get away from NC State if it hands Clemson opportunities like they did with William and Mary.
Even though it was a tough loss to handle, head coach George Kiefer is optimistic about the Wolfpack’s position.
“I thought the team showed a lot of character being down 2-0 and tying it up and getting it to OT,” Kiefer said to NC State Athletics. “We can learn a lot from this match, as it always comes down to the small details. I look forward to a few good days of training with the guys before our next match on Friday.”
Despite their ranking and talent, the Tigers have not looked invincible. Their most recent win against Georgia Southern was a nail-biter against a lesser team. It took Clemson until the last seven seconds in the first overtime period to put Georgia Southern away. Despite the scare and evident room for improvement, head coach Mike Noonan was still impressed by his team’s toughness.
“It was good to get the win, but credit Georgia Southern for making it very difficult,” Noonan told Clemson Athletics. “The game was an emotional dip after a very good performance against South Carolina. I am proud that the players were resilient enough to see it through. However, we need to be much better as we enter ACC play.”
Both NC State and Clemson have had shaky starts, but expect them to clean up their mistakes and execute as they collide in their ACC opener.
The game will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday at Dail Soccer Complex.
Freshman defender David Norris focuses on transitioning the ball back to offense. At the time this photo was taken, the NC State men's soccer team was winning 1-0 against LIU Brooklyn at Dail Soccer Stadium Friday until the game was suspended due to inclement weather.
