GREENSBORO — Bouncing back from Sunday’s last-minute loss against No. 12 South Carolina, the NC State women’s soccer team took down UNC-Greensboro 3-0 on Thursday, Sept. 2.
The Wolfpack (2-1-2) dominated the Spartans (1-2-2) all evening, outshooting the hosts 12-0. The Pack also managed to put eight of its shots on target, testing UNCG’s two keepers throughout the night.
“We were solid for 90 minutes,” said NC State head coach Tim Santoro. “It was the complete performance that we’ve been close to the last few games. We still have some things we have to iron out but again, I think we’re growing. We’ve played well a lot this year. Tonight we just got that second goal, we’ve scored a lot of early goals, we got the second one tonight, which I think settled the game down.”
After drawing against Campbell and losing to South Carolina, the win was an important one for the Wolfpack to get back on track in the second half of nonconference play.
“We felt like we were close in a couple of games, but we never got that win,” said junior midfielder Toni Starova. “This was huge. We knew that we needed it.”
Freshman defender Nina Zimmer made just her second appearance of the season in the win after missing the last three games due to injury. With Zimmer back in the lineup, freshman defender Fernanda Soto was able to move up and play on the right side of the Pack’s midfield. Zimmer and Soto connected well throughout the game.
“It’s good to have them both on the field and it’s a glimpse of more young players, of what they can bring to the team,” Santoro said. “It’s just getting them all on the field together and playing, that’s what we need now.”
Sophomore midfielder Jaiden Thomas also returned from injury in the win, helping solidify the base of the Pack’s midfield.
With Zimmer and Thomas back from injury, Santoro is getting closer to having a complete roster for the first time since Georgetown. Sophomore forward Leah Hall-Robinson was held out of the game with a minor injury while senior forward Denae Antoine was out due to a conflict with a graduate class.
“We got a couple back and then a couple went the other way, but those two should both be back Sunday and we should be, hopefully, full strength,” Santoro said.
Freshman forward Annika Wohner opened the scoring in the third minute, finishing off an excellent piece of buildup play between Soto and Starova.
Soto picked up the ball inside of the Spartans’ half and drove forward, playing it wide to Starova. Starova held the ball for just a second, allowing Soto to break into the box before slipping the ball to her. Soto then cut the ball back to Wohner, who converted from the middle of the box.
Freshman defender Brianna Weber doubled the Pack’s lead in the 39th minute, blasting a rebound into the net from close range. Freshman defender Cara Elmendorf played in an excellent free kick and junior defender Jenna Butler got her head to it, only for the keeper to come up with a great foot save, which led to Weber’s first career goal.
Sophomore forward Jameese Joseph continued her fantastic start to the season, putting the Wolfpack up 3-0 in the 54th minute with her fourth goal of the season.
With four goals in the first five games of the season, Joseph is on pace to score 14 this season, a tally that hasn’t been achieved since 2017 when Tziarra King scored 17 in her sophomore season. Although Santoro hates the comparison, seeing Joseph perform at such a high level is nice to see.
“She put a lot into her game last year when we weren’t playing,” Santoro said. “She knew she was gonna have to pick up the slack and she’s playing well. It’s not just the goals, she’s playing well. It’s really good to see and there’s a good reward for her.”
The Wolfpack will be back in action this Sunday, Sept. 5, hosting Elon at Dail Soccer Field at 7 p.m.
