The NC State women’s soccer team will conclude its home slate of games with senior day this Sunday against Notre Dame. The Pack (7-5-4, 2-2-4 ACC) is coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over Syracuse on Thursday night, a big win in order to get back to .500 in ACC play and stay two games above .500 overall for its NCAA hopes.
The Fighting Irish (9-5-2, 3-3-2 ACC) also played Thursday over in Durham, picking up a 1-1 tie against the ninth-ranked Blue Devils. This sets the stage for a big match on Sunday between the two teams. Both will be looking for three points to add to the standings with the season winding down and positioning for the ACC tournament on the line.
It is currently a log jam in the standings, with the fifth through tenth teams all within at least four points of each other. With the win, the Pack would have an opportunity to move into fifth place depending on how Duke and Virginia Tech fare in their respective matches.
NC State will look to do this through its stellar senior class in their final match at Dail Soccer Stadium, which features six seniors, Tziarra King, Krissi Schuster, Ricci Walking, Kia Rankin, Maxine Blackwood and Paige Griffiths.
These seniors have been consistent producers throughout the season and in their careers, something they want to continue in order to take down the Irish on Sunday. Three of them netted goals Thursday night, including the game-winner from Rankin.
Freshman goalkeeper Eden Millan played in her third career game last night as she will be a key player to watch on Sunday and see how she fares against the Irish. Notre Dame has looked for its offensive production this year from junior forward Eva Hurm and junior midfielder Sammi Fisher who are tied for the team’s lead in goals with five each.
The match Sunday will certainly have a big impact on the final ACC standings and how the tournament will shake out seeding wise. Start time will be 1:00 p.m. and it can be seen on the ACC Network Extra.
