The NC State women’s soccer team has had a lackluster start to ACC play, taking just two points from its opening three games with a pair of 1-1 draws against Duke and Wake Forest, and a 1-0 loss to UNC-Chapel Hill.

The two points could have easily been six as the Wolfpack was the better team against both Duke and Wake. While the inability to finish off games that should be wins is worrying, and there are some worrying signs from these games, there are also a number of good signs that show a turnaround in form is more than likely.

King is queen, but the crown is a heavy burden

It is no secret that senior forward Tziarra King is a brilliant player, with nine goals and four assists on the season, King sits 15 points above the second-highest point total on the team, held by senior midfielder Ricci Walkling.

While King scoring bags of goals is a good sign, the team’s overreliance on her scoring and creative abilities could cause problems. King has scored or assisted every Wolfpack goal dating back to Sept. 8’s 3-0 win over Duquesne, where she assisted only one of the team’s goals.

Part of the reliance on King may stem from the lack of experience in the forward line as a pair of freshmen, Jameese Joseph and Leyah Hall-Robinson, complete the attacking trio. The two freshmen are undoubtedly talented and will be great players for State, but in a conference as difficult as the ACC, experience is a prized commodity.

In recent games, the Wolfpack has gotten a small boost of forward experience with the return of senior Maxine Blackwood, who missed the back half of last year due to an injury. Blackwood, along with King and senior now-defender Kia Rankin, formed a deadly striking duo last season and she could be a big asset to the Wolfpack’s attack during ACC play. While she played just 94 minutes total between the three games, Blackwood saw a steady increase in minutes each game and that trend could continue.

“It gives us depth,” said NC State head coach Tim Santoro after the Wake Forest draw. “It gives us experience. And she is good. There is quality as well. So you have experience, depth and quality. It is nice to have her back.”

Jaiden Thomas, an underappreciated asset

By the nature of her position as a holding midfielder and the flair of the players around her, freshman Jaiden Thomas was always going to fly under the radar this season, but she has been solid in the opening games of ACC play.

Thomas started each of the three games on the bench, but she was the first name Santoro called when he needed a change in his midfield. Playing a total of 184 minutes over the trio of games, Thomas’ addition to the team changed the look of the midfield and opened up the players around her to create.

The starting midfield of senior Ricci Walkling, sophomore Toni Starova and senior Paige Griffiths, the latter of which was who Thomas would replace in midfield, is brilliantly creative, but with those three in midfield, both Starova and Walkling sit further back and do the defensive duties. With Thomas in place of Griffiths, however, Walkling and Starova are freed up to advance the ball forward and get into more attacking positions. 

While the duo of Walkling and Starova does not lack aggression, Thomas is a more adept defender and her added height brings an aerial ability to the midfield that is lacking without her on the pitch. With Thomas in the midfield over Griffiths, the middle of the park is less dynamic, but more solid for the Wolfpack and given the tough schedule in the ACC, a balance of the two will be crucial to the success of the team. 

“She is a little bigger, her ball winning her heading,” Santoro said. “We have good players, any of them could start. It is nice to have depth. It is not always necessarily that she is not good enough, it is just you can only put 11 players out there.”

“Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

As much as I dislike Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson knows what he is talking about when it comes to soccer and I think this statement could very well ring true for the Wolfpack in the coming weeks.

If the offense, apart from King, can start firing on all cylinders then there is no doubt the Wolfpack can turn the corner and win a majority of the ACC games it has left to play.

This season, the Wolfpack is averaging just one goal against, a statistic that has stayed consistent during the opening three games of ACC play as it conceded just once against each of Duke, UNC and Wake, three teams which are known for their lethal attacks as the three average 2.67, 2.91 and 1.64 goals per game, respectively.

What is great about the defense is that it has exactly what the offense lacks: experience. With a pair of seniors on the flanks in Krissi Schuster and Kia Rankin, and a pair of sophomores who play beyond their years at center back in Jenna Butler and Lulu Guttenberger, the Wolfpack’s defense is the strongest part of the team.

There are two big question marks about this defense though, the first being the high amount of shots it conceded in the first half of the games against Duke and UNC, where it conceded 11 in each. While statistically this could be worrying, a lot of the shots were low-percentage efforts or the Wolfpack was able to put enough pressure to force the ball off target or it was an easy save for junior goalkeeper Jessica Berlin.

When the opposition has gotten decent shots away, Berlin has been up to the challenge, especially against Duke where she made a few brilliant first-half saves to keep the Pack in the match.

The other question mark looming over this defense is the long term health of Guttenberger. The redshirt sophomore missed out on all but two games of last season due to injury and was taken off the field injured both against Duke in the 23rd minute, and UNC in the 55th. The German defender is made of stern stuff, however, as she returned to the starting lineup for each of the next two matches after being subbed and played every minute against Wake. 

“Injuries, it happens, it is here and there,” Guttenberger said. “I was ready every single game I stepped on the field. When I had to come off, I had to come off because I couldn’t help the team as much as I wanted to anymore.”

Looking ahead

The Wolfpack has no shortage of tough games left this season, despite already playing two top-10 teams in the opening three games of ACC play, the Wolfpack has three games remaining against teams in the top 25 including a matchup with currently undefeated and No. 1-ranked Virginia on Oct. 9.  

While the remainder of the schedule is undoubtedly difficult for the Pack, there are a lot of signs that point towards the Wolfpack having a strong finish to ACC play.

If the rest of the forward line can start firing at the level they are capable of, King continues her fine form and the defense continues to be a strong foundation for the Pack, then there is no reason to doubt this team can finish ACC play with 18 or more points, despite taking just two from a possible nine in its opening three fixtures.