The NC State women’s soccer team will travel to Tallahassee, Florida this Friday, Sept. 30 to play No. 21 Florida State for its fourth ACC contest of the year.

The Wolfpack (8-2-1, 1-1-1 ACC) will try and bounce back after suffering its worst loss of the season, a 4-0 decision to Notre Dame on Sept. 24. After falling 1-0 at home to UNC-Chapel Hill, the Seminoles (7-2-0, 2-1 ACC) have won two straight ACC matches, against Louisville and against Virginia Tech, both of which came on the road.

NC State, which has thus far enjoyed one of the best seasons in recent women’s soccer memory, is currently in the midst of a four-game road stretch. The first three of these games come against ranked teams, beginning with No. 18 Notre Dame and ending with No. 5 Duke on Oct. 5. NC State will travel to Pittsburgh Oct. 8 before returning home to face Syracuse Oct. 14.

A win over Florida State will bode well for the Wolfpack before the team heads to Durham for a big matchup with the in-state rival and current top-five ranked Blue Devils. A loss to the Seminoles could spell trouble for head coach Tim Santoro’s squad, seeing as it could severely demoralize the team before the Duke game.

If NC State wants to obtain a high seed for the ACC tournament, at least two wins on this road stretch are crucial.

Florida State head coach Mark Krikorian, who achieved his 400th career win with a 2-0 shutout of Virginia Tech on Sept. 24, has a history of success. The 2014 NSCAA Coach of the Year has three national championships to his name, with the most recent coming in 2014, and has also won the ACC tournament five out of the past six seasons.

The 2017 Seminoles feature a relatively young team, with only four seniors on the roster. Nearly half of Florida State’s 21 goals this season have come from sophomore striker Deyna Castellanos, who has 10 to her name.

Florida State’s defense has conceded only seven goals in nine games this season, and has only let in more than one goal in a game once, when the team beat Samford 4-2. NC State, on the other hand, has only conceded eight goals this season, four of which came in the loss to Notre Dame.

As ACC wins are never easy to come by, this game will serve the Wolfpack as an opportunity to bounce back from a tough conference loss and stay in the quest for the regular season championship.

The kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Seminole Soccer Complex.