After a 2-1 win against VCU Feb. 28, NC State women’s soccer entered a nearly month-long hiatus to prepare for the second leg of its spring schedule. With the end of the break now in sight, the Wolfpack now has to face tougher, Power Five schools to continue its unbeaten run.
Vs. Wake Forest – Saturday, March 20 at 1 p.m. (Dail Soccer Field)
Women’s soccer plays its only game in March against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who have had a rollercoaster season to date. In the fall, the Deacs were on the wrong end of high-scoring 4-3 games against Duke and Virginia Tech, but have also pulled out impressive defensive performances such as the 1-0 win against a then-ranked No. 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish squad Oct. 15.
And yet, Wake Forest has started out its spring campaign with 2-0 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. The only consistent thing about this Wake Forest team is its inconsistency, so it’s hard to pinpoint how the game against NC State will go. With only three wins so far in the academic year, however, it’s hard not to see the Wolfpack coming out ahead of the Deacs.
Vs. Duke – Friday, April 2 at 7 p.m. (Dail Soccer Field)
Duke is a different story altogether. Sure, the Blue Devils have had their fair share of losses, but a 7-4-2 record against ACC competition since the beginning of the fall is nothing to sneer at. Three Blue Devils, Tess Boade, Caitlin Cosme and Olivia Migli, have scored four goals and share the goal-scoring lead for Duke this season. Marykate McGuire is the leading shot-taker for the Blue Devils, but only two of them have found the back of the net; however, McGuire has set her teammates up for goals six times.
The balanced Blue Devils attack means NC State can’t focus its defense to neutralize any one person, and ACC opponents have found that out the hard way. The Blue Devils have beaten a top-five ranked Clemson team twice, played tough games against the top-two duo of North Carolina and Florida State and have gained a top-five ranking in the process.
Vs. Georgia – Sunday, April 11 at 2 p.m. (Pineville, North Carolina)
Like Wake Forest, Georgia has had a tough go of it so far this season. The Bulldogs have gone 3-6-2 against SEC competition since the beginning of the fall and have struggled to find their footing all season long. Unlike the Demon Deacons, however, the Dogs don’t have a signature win to hang their hats on, as wins against South Carolina and Tennessee are the closest they’ve come to anything resembling such.
Abby Boyan and Mollie Belisle have combined for seven goals, but no one else on this Georgia team has more than one. Marking Boyan and Belisle means shutting down the Bulldogs’ best chance at scoring, so if NC State can do that, the Wolfpack can at least walk away with a draw.
Vs. Boston College – Saturday, April 17 at 1 p.m. (WakeMed Soccer Park)
On paper, Boston College seems like the easiest team NC State has left to play. And it is; the Eagles have gone 1-8 overall this season. Although, this team isn’t as bad as it looks and has played good games against tough competition. The Eagles only lost 1-0 to the Blue Devils and 2-1 to a top-10 Virginia Cavaliers team, so they have it in them to play well. Now it’s true Boston College has fallen flat before, like it did against Hofstra, but NC State would do well not to underestimate the Eagles.
