After a nearly three-week hiatus, the NC State women’s soccer team returned to the field on Saturday, March 20, and fell to Wake Forest 1-0 in overtime in its first game against an ACC opponent since 2019’s ACC Championship semifinal against UNC-Chapel Hill. Like all of the Wolfpack’s games against ACC opponents this spring, Saturday’s game was considered nonconference.
The Wolfpack (4-1-1) started the game aggressively, quickly putting the Demon Deacons (4-6-1) on the back foot with some very direct attacking play. While the Deacs were bailed out on a few occasions by the linesman’s flag, the early aggression and offsides proved to be the themes of the game.
“I thought we could have mixed in our short and long stuff a little better, but for the most part, we had the game under control for a large stretch,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “We just had no quality in the final third… That game should have been well out of hand before the ending happened. Credit to Wake for hanging in there and they found a way. We didn’t. We had a lot of chances near goal and just weren’t good enough.”
With the score locked at 0-0 after 90 minutes, overtime was needed to try and separate the two North Carolina schools, and in the 102nd minute, sophomore forward Jameese Joseph nearly created that separation when her curler from outside beat Wake’s keeper, but the crossbar came to the keeper’s rescue and kept Joseph’s shot out.
With less than two minutes left in the second half of overtime, Wake Forest got the game-winner when Ryanne Brown ripped a long shot, and freshman keeper Maria Echezarreta attempted to tip the shot over the bar but did not get enough on it and tipped it into the back of the net.
“I can’t believe how it ended,” Santoro said. “I guess that is what happens when you let them hang around. It is a bad ending. Shouldn’t have happened, but it does. Have to accept it and move on.”
The aggressive attacking started from the base of the Wolfpack’s midfield with senior Mikhail Johnson and sophomore Jaiden Thomas stepping in and breaking up the play before quickly transitioning the ball into attack. More often than not, the pair of holding mids went very direct, opting for the long ball and looking to spring Joseph and sophomore forward Leyah Hall-Robinson in behind the Demon Deacons’ defensive line.
“They had a big impact on the game,” Santoro said. “They were able to win back possession quickly, and in a lot of instances, put us right back on the attack. That is what we wanted to do. We thought we could win the ball in some high places, but we did not have quality on the end of it. Some of our attacks started in some good spots because of them.”
Over the last few games, Thomas and Johnson have formed a formidable partnership at the base of the Wolfpack’s midfield, screening the back line and allowing junior midfielder Toni Starova freedom to roam in the attacking third.
“We have had some bonding over the past couple of games,” Johnson said. “We both feel confident and strong together. I think it is really special that we have a bond where I am always going to have her back and she is always going to have my back. Just having that confidence, it makes you play better.”
After dominating for the entirety of the first half, the Wolfpack nearly went behind in the final three minutes of the half, but freshman defender Cara Elmendorf bailed the Pack out to keep the game level.
The Deacs pulled off a short corner routine, playing the ball on the ground to the top of the box and dummying it to open up a shot. Reese Kim let fly from just outside the 18 and the shot managed to beat Echezarretta, but Elmendorf was able to head the ball off the line, keeping the game level at the break.
In the first half, the Wolfpack held 56% of the possession and outshot the Deacs 4-2. However, the most telling stat of the first half was the Wolfpack’s five offsides. As the Wolfpack continued to look for dangerous passes, just inches separated the Pack from multiple one-on-one opportunities with Wake’s keeper.
The second half played out much like the first with the Pack holding the majority of the possession and coming close to scoring but with nothing to show for it. Elmendorf and fellow freshman forward Mia Vaughan both had some solid chances to score in the second half but could not beat Wake’s Kaitlyn Parks.
Wake had a few dangerous attacks of its own, but Echezarreta was not challenged much on any of the attacks.
Prior to the game, the Wolfpack honored seniors Jessica Berlin, Mackenzie Crittenberger, Hope McQueen and Johnson.
“The classes that we are losing the last few years, and this one is included in that, these girls have put in a lot of effort to improve this program,” Santoro said. “We have raised the bar in this program to be one of the top ones in the ACC and in the country… For them, I wish we could have won today, because we deserved it and it would have made today more memorable.”
In its four years, this senior class has been to three NCAA Tournaments, and along with the classes before them, it elevated the Wolfpack to be incredibly competitive in a very good conference.
“It has been a rollercoaster with our class,” Johnson said. “There have been a lot of injuries, a lot of transfers. I think we four that are still here. We have gone through a lot. We have made it to a lot of NCAA Sweet 16s and everything. I am just proud that I can say I’m still here and I made it my four years. We got to play our first ACC game in a long while, it was exciting that that could be for my Senior Day.”
The Wolfpack will continue its string of nonconference games against ACC opponents on Friday, April 2 when it hosts the Duke Blue Devils.
Freshman defender Cara Elmendorf stops a run by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Saturday, March 20, 2021 in Dail Soccer Park. The Wolfpack lost to the Demon Deacons 1-0 in double overtime.
