NC State women’s soccer (5-4-1, 0-1-1 ACC) is looking to bounce back after a tough 0-1 rivalry loss to No. 5 UNC-Chapel Hill as its takes on Wake Forest (5-3-2, 0-1-1 ACC) in Winston-Salem this Sunday. 

Wake Forest is coming off a 2-3 loss to No. 10 Duke, who the Wolfpack tied 1-1. The Demon Deacons are going through a rough patch in their season right now, not winning in their past four matches with three losses and a tie against No. 1 Virginia. Both teams are looking for their first win in ACC play. 

Wake Forest’s offense is led by forward Hulda Arnarsdottir, a redshirt sophomore from Iceland, and forward Hayley Younginer, a graduate transfer from Wofford. Arnarsdottir leads the team in goals and points with five goals and an assist. Younginer has three goals and three assists with an impressive .684 shot on goal percentage. 

The Deacs’ goalkeeper will likely be Meghan Kennedy since she has started the past three matches. Kennedy has 11 saves in those three matches but has allowed seven goals. 

NC State’s star senior midfielder Tziarra King has dominated this season, leading the team with a whopping 20 points. The senior has eight goals and four assists on the season with a .235 shot percentage. King brings a great amount of experience and leadership to the young Wolfpack offense. 

The Wolfpack’s defense is led by junior goalkeeper Jessica Berlin who has stepped up significantly since ACC play. She has six saves on 29 shots against top-10 ranked Duke and UNC and has only allowed two goals in those two games. Berlin has also had help from senior defender Krissi Schuster and sophomore Jenna Butler who have been reliable and started every game this season for the Wolfpack. 

If NC State wants to get its first ACC win of the season, it needs to take advantage of the struggling Wake Forest defense and score multiple goals to compete with its strong offense. 

The match will kick off at 7 p.m. at Spry Stadium at Wake Forest and will be televised on regional sports networks.