The NC State men’s soccer team beat previously undefeated No. 3 Clemson 1-0 Friday night at Dail Soccer Stadium. The victory was State’s first win over Clemson since 2008, and the first ACC win of head coach George Kiefer’s tenure.
The Wolfpack (2-1, 1-0 ACC) scored in the seventh minute and held on to defeat the Tigers (4-1, 0-1 ACC). Clemson returned seven starters from last year’s team that reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, but could not do enough to hold off the Pack.
“When you look at the performance, I thought the guys were disciplined,” Kiefer said. “We were very good defensively on the night, and I was pleased. The rankings this time of year are a little bit tricky, but when you watch Clemson, with seven guys returning from a team that lost in the Elite Eight, and added new players, they are a legit team.”
NC State had little preparation to face its first ACC foe of the season. The Pack entered the matchup having only played two full games; it’s third game of the year against LIU-Brooklyn was stopped in the 32nd minute due to inclement weather.
Clemson entered the game with an unblemished record and a top-five national ranking. The Tigers had played three of their first four games at home, with their lone away game being a 2-1 overtime win over Georgia Southern.
Freshman Manny Perez scored NC State’s lone goal of the game in the seventh minute by sprinting onto a prime overhead chip by fellow freshman David Loera. The goal was Perez’s team-leading third of the season.
“I gave the ball to our number 10, David,” Perez said. “He did a good job of attacking the space and he slid me through the back. I just tried to cross it in at first, but luckily it got a deflection off of the defender which made us go up 1-0.”
In the 23rd minute, Clemson appeared to equalize off of a free-kick header by forward Jason Wright, but the linesman’s flag for offsides negated the would-be goal.
At the break, NC State held a slight 6-5 advantage in shots, four of which were on goal. Only two of Clemson’s shot were on target but both forced Wolfpack freshman goalie Leon Krapf to make acrobatic saves. Kiefer was pleased with the play of his young goalie, and his defense overall.
“Obviously Leon had two touches that were excellent,” Kiefer said. “That’s why he’s here. To make those tight saves. He had a good performance. You look at the back four, managing their lines, the compactness. I thought we got a little bit loose towards the end of the first half. We were like a block of eight plus two. Where in the second half, I thought the 10 worked well together.”
During the second half, Clemson pushed its attack into overdrive. Krapf once again made an incredible save, this time off of a free-kick header. Krapf totaled five saves on the evening.
“I’m always happy when I can help the team,” Krapf said. “Not only did I do a good job tonight, the team did a great job. We won as a team, it’s not on one player, it’s on everybody. We have to enjoy this moment now, but it’s key to stay very humble now. We know where we come from, we have to focus on our mentality, focus on our key values, and then we move on to the next game.”
With the win, the Wolfpack equaled its number of ACC wins from last season. Former head coach Kelly Findley won just nine ACC games during his six seasons in Raleigh, while Kiefer won in his first. It was a signature victory for a program that has been on a downward trajectory in the past few years.
“I know where we are coming from with this program,” Krapf said. “I think it means a lot for the whole team. We worked very hard in the preseason. We had some tough games already. This is a great moment for us, we have to enjoy it, but as I said we have to move on now.”
Kiefer expressed his joy over the win, but was quick to echo the poise of his young goalie and not dwell on this match.
“I think that maturity comes when you can knock a Clemson off and then be prepared for the next one,” Kiefer said. “The key is how do we handle our next match.”
That next match will be a break from ACC action to face Longwood on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium.
