The NC State men’s soccer team returned to its winning ways on Monday, Sept. 6, beating the UCF Knights 2-1 in the final game of the George Tarantini Classic.
The Knights (1-3) started the game well with a couple of shots, but the Wolfpack (3-1) quickly took control and dominated the remainder of the first half, taking a 2-0 lead into the break. The Knights pulled one back in the 74th minute, and controlled the second half, but the Pack was able to see out the game and secure the win.
“At times we were very good on the ball,” said NC State head coach George Kiefer. “The chances we created were very good. As a group, not just coaches but as a group, we feel like we’re wanting to play more minutes like NC State plays. That’s a big piece for us. … They did a much better job in the second half. I thought we did a much better job in the first half.”
Scoring his first goal in his first college start, freshman midfielder Yaniv Bazini opened the scoring in the 16th minute, heading home a nice cross from senior midfielder Alex Hernendez.
After his goal, Bazini ran to the corner while lifting his shirt, revealing an undershirt that read “I miss u grandma RIP”.
“My grandma passed away a few days ago and it was important for me to score for her,” Bazini said. “I was a little sad, because I thought about her. I was connected to her. Sadly also in the last moment, I wasn’t there with her. This is the least that I can do.”
Bazini came off the bench in two of the Pack’s first three games, but earned the starting spot over senior forward Ivy Brisma, who started the previous game for freshman midfielder Luke Hille. After starting the season on fire and cementing his place in the starting XI, Hille has been dealing with a minor injury in the last two matches, but Kiefer said after the game that he thinks Hille will be ready for the next game.
Junior forward Jared Miller doubled the Pack’s advantage in the 43rd minute with his first career goal, punching in a rebound after Brisma rocketed a shot after the post. Sprinting away in celebration, Miller was then dogpiled by his teammates.
“It’s like a family…” Miller said. “We are all tight. … It was a big one. My dad was up in the stands. I didn’t see him after the game, but he was up there cheering. My roommates are here so I heard them in the stands too.”
Miller has had a fantastic journey to his first goal. Starting as a walk-on in the spring of his freshman year, Miller earned the trust of the coaching staff and he repaid that trust, scoring what ended up being the winning goal two minutes after entering the game. Both after his goal and after the game, Miller was constantly cheered by his teammates.
“I love it, that environment,” Kiefer said. “You watch some teams and they don’t even celebrate after. The game is passion. We all know where Jared has come from. He walked on in and spring actually played against Chapel Hill a year ago for like two minutes, but tweaked his knee. I couldn’t be happier for a guy like that, because he works so hard for the program; and to be fair he scores goals all the time in training. So I said to my staff, ‘Well if he’s doing it, let’s just put them in, and I’m glad we did.”
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 10 as No. 4 Clemson comes to Dail Soccer Field for the Pack’s ACC opener.
“I think you’re excited to play any ACC team so we look forward to that,” Kiefer said. “Hopefully we can get the Red Terrors out to give Clemson a nice welcome with a lot of fans. I’m interested to see us play against one of the best teams in the country. It should be good.”
Senior defender Pepe Garcia dribbles past a UCF defender on Monday, Sep. 6, 2021 at Dail Soccer Stadium. The Wolfpack defeated the Knights 2-1.
