The NC State men’s soccer team (7-3-3, 3-2-1 ACC) will return home to play Elon this Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a non-conference matchup. The Wolfpack is looking to bounce back after a short two-game road trip with draws against South Carolina and Duke. 

The Phoenix (6-7-1, 1-5 CAA) will be defending its three-game winning streak with wins against Liberty, Duke and Northeastern in the past week. 

This will be the fourth time these teams have met since 2005. Their last matchup was in September of 2017 which ended in a 0-0 draw. 

The Pack’s offense is led by junior midfielder David Loera and sophomore forward Kuda Muskwe, who both have three goals and an assist on the season. Junior defender Jamie Smith has also had a large contribution with two goals and three assists. Despite these numbers, the Wolfpack’s offense has struggled as of late with only one goal in its past three games. 

NC State’s defense has been exceptional as well, led by redshirt senior goalkeeper Vinnie Durand who currently has 22 saves and a 0.688 save percentage.

Elon’s offense is led by forwards freshman Burl Shepherd and redshirt senior Iñigo Bronte, who have five and four goals, respectively. Elon’s offense has been stellar recently, with eight goals in its last three games. 

Its defense is led by goalkeepers redshirt freshman Peter Wentzel and redshirt sophomore Alex Lorne, who have both shared time in the net throughout the season. Lorne has 13 saves and a 0.619 save percentage while Wentzel has 20 saves and a .526 save percentage. This season they’ve let up 21 goals while their offense has only scored 18. 

If the Wolfpack starts off strong against the Phoenix’s inconsistent defense, it should have no trouble scoring goals. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Field.