Coming off a loss the previous weekend, NC State men’s soccer was able to secure a draw against No. 4 Wake Forest Saturday, March 13.

The Demon Deacons (9-2-1, 1-0-1 ACC) have dominated the Wolfpack (2-7-2, 0-6-2 ACC)  in recent years with a record of 8-0-2 in the two sides’ last 10 meetings. The last time the Wolfpack was triumphant in this contest was October of 2005, but the Pack was looking to take advantage of an injury-riddled Demon Deacon side in this meeting. 

Wake Forest dominated the beginning of the first half, having the majority of the possession and chances. The Demon Deacons seemed to get their way for most of the first half, having five more shots than NC State, and a total of six corners. The home side was able to keep the ball in the Wolfpack half for seemingly the entire beginning first half and had the Wolfpack on the back foot. Fortunately for the Pack redshirt junior goalkeeper Leon Krapf was able to make some crucial saves, a total of three in the first half, to keep the game level. 

The first major scoring chance for the Deacons came in the 24th minute when Kyle Holcomb had a great opportunity to put his team in the lead with a shot just inside the box; however, Krapf was able to push the attempt aside. 

A great run by senior midfielder George Asomani was cut short by Wake’s Prince Amponsah, who subsequently received a yellow card for his foul, giving the Pack a dangerous scoring opportunity. Senior defender Jamie Smith lined up for a 25-yard freekick in the 37th minute and the attempt was struck hard and low but Wake goalkeeper Cole McNally was able to gobble up the shot. 

Despite the 0-0 scoreline, the first half was not short of action. Wake Forest began the half looking like the No. 4 team in the country, but towards the end of the half NC State put on the press and created chances, keeping it in the game. 

The second half started much like the first, with Wake holding the majority of the possession. The first real chance came five minutes in for the Demon Deacons when Hosei Kijima, took one just wide of the Wolfpack goal. 

On the other end, the Wolfpack’s first chance of the half came from a high curling shot by freshman midfielder Tal Segev in the 55th minute but the shot went just over the bar.

Both teams maintained a high press and NC State was almost able to capitalize when Asomani made a run into the box and sent the ball across to junior forward Kuda Muskwe, which ultimately found the back of the net, unfortunately for the duo, Asomani had committed a foul, which resulted in a yellow card for him, and no goal for the team. 

The Wolfpack continued to pile on the pressure, having multiple chances in the final 15 minutes with Asomani and Brisma both having amazing chances in 80th and 81st minutes, respectively, to take the lead, but neither were able to find the back of the net. 

Regular time ended in a 0-0 deadlock, with NC State dominating the second half. The Wolfpack was unable to capitalize on an abundance of chances in the closing moments and ultimately found itself heading to golden-goal overtime with the top-ranked side. 

It was clear that fatigue was playing a role in the efforts of both squads as neither were able to score in the first half of overtime. Wake had a good opportunity to steal the win with 35 seconds remaining in the half but Jahlane Forbes was unable to reach the ball for the shot. 

The second half of extra time was a game of longball, with neither team creating many chances, and great defending by both squads keeping the game scoreless.

This game was truly one of two halves, with Wake Forest dominating early in the match and NC State storming forward in the second. In a match filled with many of them, neither side was able to take its chances effectively, and ultimately the contest ended in a goalless draw. 

Next week, NC State will face another tough test when it visits No. 1 Clemson on Saturday, March 20.