An All-American award is on display in coach George Tarantini’s office, serving as a reminder of the historical success of the men’s soccer program. And it is not alone. It is surrounded by nearly a dozen others awarded to players throughout Tarantini’s tenure.
That most recent individual was honored in 2005, which, coincidentally, is also the last year N.C. State qualified for the NCAA tournament. The last few seasons have been dismal to say the least, as the Wolfpack has won only two ACC contests in the last two years combined.
In this year’s ACC preseason poll, the media tabbed State to finish last in the conference, a position it has held for the last two seasons.
Captain Ronnie Bouemboue was not surprised by the prediction.
“That last few years we haven’t been performing as we should have,” the redshirt junior forward said. “It was expected because last year we finished in last place. Hopefully we don’t end up in the bottom again, but we’ll see.”
Tarantini, on the other hand, said that polls “never reflect the truth on anything.”
“If that is the way they feel, that’s fine,” he said. “We want to wait for the competition and see what we are going to produce on the field. We have a very good chance.”
Fortunately for the Pack, its fortunes have improved. The recent opening of the Dail Soccer Stadium marks the first time in soccer program history that night games can be played at home.
The improved facilities should create many new opportunities for State both on and off the field.
“We finally can try to compete with the other teams,” Tarantini said. “It takes a tremendous amount of energy to play in the afternoon. To get to play on Friday or Saturday night will be a huge advantage for us. I have never talked about that before. You never heard me say anything like that. I never talk about facilities. That’s not me. I play with whatever we have.”
Dramatic changes have also been made to the Pack’s roster. In the off-season, State lost four players to graduation. Meanwhile, five others, Orry Powers, Jorge Mora, Ben Ward, Alberto Ramos and Brandyn Bumpas, decided to transfer.
Tarantini said the players were “looking for better opportunities.”
“We live in a situation where players want to play and show [their ability],” he said. “We gave them the opportunity to choose. We want people to be at N.C. State for the right reasons. We wish them the best and they made the right decision.”
State returns only four starters from last season, but welcomes 14 new players who will look to fill in the holes. The newcomers include a former Gatorade North Carolina player of the year and four international players.
The Pack also adds experience with the return of Bouemboue, who will see his first significant playing time since knee injuries sidelined him more than a year ago.
With the long-awaited opening of the new stadium and the revamped roster, Tarantini expects State to be competitive with the rest of the ACC.
“I don’t think I’ve been this excited in a long, long time,” he said. “I don’t remember ever being so optimistic. But all those are good wishes. You have to prove it on the field.”
The Pack will have that chance when the season opens against Mercer, this Saturday at 7 p.m., in the first night game ever played at State.
“The most important year of our lives is this year,” Tarantini said. “The most important game of our lives is Saturday. Every player on this team feels the same way the coaches feel. We don’t want to wait until next year. We have to do it now.”
