N.C . State (8-2, 0-1 ACC) takes on Wake Forest (8-1, 1-0 ACC) in the Dail Stadium tonight at 7 p.m . against their second consecutive top-10 opponent in ACC play.
No. 7 Wake Forest, fresh from a win against South Carolina and No. 3 Florida State, comes to Raleigh as the favorite in what should prove to be a tough encounter for the Pack in their own backyard.
State, who lost their previous game against an ACC opponent in the form of UNC-Chapel Hill, showed incredible mental strength to bounce back against Towson to clinch the game at 3-1, but knows it will be a completely different story against the Demon Deacons.
Senior defender Alex Berger, who is also the joint top scorer for the team, felt that looking forward after the loss against UNC was the best thing to do.
“We just had to forget about UNC , we had to learn from our mistakes,” Berger said. “We had to take that loss and turn it around and find something positive to take out from the game. We know we are a good team and we didn’t show it against Carolina and we were determined to come back and show that against Towson.”
Berger also revealed her enthusiasm at the opportunity to play a top-10 team like Wake Forest and having the chance to pull off an upset.
“We are excited, we always look forward to a challenge and that’s what we love about playing in the ACC,” Berger said. “There’s always a chance, at least 5 or 6 times, if not more, per season, to knock off a top-10 team and we look forward to that opportunity.”
Berger also discussed the plan the team had in place for the ACC player of week, Wake Forest forward Katie Stengel , who currently has 25 points to her name.
“We want to keep her in front of us, we want to keep her back to the goal,” Berger said. “We want her to receive the ball facing away and double down on her probably and block her shots.”
Senior forward Tanya Cain, who is currently tied second in the team for points scored, is feeling optimistic going into the game.
“I think it goes to show that any team can be beaten on any day, like Wake Forest was ranked lower than FSU and they beat them and it’s the same with us,” Cain said. ”We are ranked lower than them so any day anyone can beat anyone, so it’s just a good challenge and we are ready for it.”
Cain also lavished praise on fellow freshmen forward Stephanie Bronson, who leads the team in goals scored and points scored and combined with Cain to have 17 shots in their previous game.
“I think it’s awesome to have an attacking mentality,” Cain said. “In the past, we have played in different formations, where he haven’t had as much of an attack, but its really nice to have someone besides you that you can count on and know that she’s going to get to that ball and she’s going to get a great shot.”
Coach Steve Springthorpe , who is having his best ever start to a season in his three years at State, was delighted with the way Bronson, who has scored in each of the last three games, has performed this season.
“When we recruited Steph [Bronson], we knew she was a very talented player and she possessed some things that would help our team immediately,” Springthorpe said. “Her quickness, her speed, her technical ability on the ball, she’s one of our leading goal scorers, she’s playing at a very high level right now so she is hugely vital to our team.”
Springthorpe also seemed mindful of the attacking threat possessed by the Demon Deacons.
“Wake’s a great team, they have got some attacking personalities that we are going to have to be mindful of,” Springthorpe said. “They have a forward Katie Stengel , who leads the league in goals right now, she’s a handful. They’ll be a great team and it will be a good challenge for us. We have got to make sure our team is defensively prepared to handle that but at the same time we want to be able to attack, too. I think we have matched up pretty well before and hopefully we’ll do that on Thursday night.”
