With just two regular-season games under its belt, the NC State Men’s Soccer team (1-1-0) is off to a thrilling start after defeating Loyola (0-2) at home 2-1 and enduring its first loss in double overtime to St. John’s (2-0).
VS Loyola
Kicking off its season with a victory against the Greyhounds, NC State was able to control most of the match as the Wolfpack recorded more shots on goal than Loyola did total shots, 6-5. Despite the out-shooting on NC State’s part, the two teams finished off the first half scoreless before heading into the offensive part of the match.
Junior defender Jamie Smith recorded the first goal of the match in the 58th minute after a cross was sent in by junior midfielder David Loera, setting up the defender with an opening. Just 10 minutes later, sophomore striker Kuda Muskwe increased the lead to two after regaining the ball from the Loyola defender and finding an open slot in the lower corner of the goal.
The new formation head coach George Kiefer tested out in this season opener gave the Wolfpack an upper hand. The Wolfpack ran a 3-4-2-1 with freshman Pablo Pedregosa on the left of the back three, junior David Norris in the middle and Smith on the right.
Smith has been one of the bright spots for the Pack early this season, with the defender showing an eye for goals both in the preseason from a free kick and in the regular season with his head.
Another important part of the formation is the outside mids, sophomores Aidan Foster and Ivy Brisma. The position is a demanding one which requires both players to provide width in the attack and get back to help defensively.
The Wolfpack was forced to switch keepers in the 54th minute; junior Leon Krapf was forced off due to injury and replaced by redshirt senior Vincent Durand. Durand gave up just one goal after the ball got loose in the Wolfpack’s penalty box, giving one of the Greyhound’s forwards the opportunity to tuck one away from NC State.
If Krapf is out for an extended period of time, it will be a big loss for the Pack, as he played every minute in net last season.
Loera has become one of the Wolfpack’s biggest offensive assets on the field, re-entering the spotlight with five shots and one assist after a shining 2018 season as a midfielder. Loera was also ranked No. 2 on the 2019 TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Top 100 Players to Watch list, and with his performance so far this season, the junior is living up to his name.
VS St. John’s
Coming into the match against St. John’s with one win on its record but also with just one day of rest in between the two matches, NC State fought until the final second against the Thunderbirds but fell short in double overtime, 1-0.
After a full scoreless match, Smith was given a free kick in the 98th minute that was deflected by the St. John’s goalkeeper to bounce off of the crossbar and back into play. While this game was mentally and physically taxing on every player with double overtime, Durand kept himself locked into the game by saving a penalty kick to keep NC State fighting as it headed into the second overtime.
While the loss of Krapf for an extended period of time will hurt the Pack, in just under a game and a half, Durand has proven he is a capable shot-stopper.
The match came to an end in the 107th minute after a Thunderbird’s shot beat out Durand at the far post, handing NC State its first loss of the season in a heartbreaking manner.
Smith worked his way into becoming the star player of the match after putting up two shots on goal and maneuvering his way through the St. John’s defense to come closest to scoring throughout the entire 107 minutes.
Up next, NC State will host Longwood on Friday at Dail Soccer Field at 7:00 p.m. with live coverage from ACC Network Extra.
