Graduate defender Liam Bennett dribbles the ball during the match against Duke University at Dail Soccer Field on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. NC State lost to Duke 2-1.
Graduate defender Liam Bennett dribbles the ball during the match against Duke University at Dail Soccer Field on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. NC State lost to Duke 2-1.
NC State men’s soccer played its second-straight road game and came away with the same result as last week against Stanford — a 0-0 draw against No. 24 Virginia Tech Friday night.
For the second consecutive week, if the Wolfpack (5-2-4, 1-2-2 ACC) could’ve put just one ball in the back of the net it would have two wins over ranked teams on the road. Unlike the game against Stanford, the Pack put more than one shot on goal but couldn’t capitalize on the chances it had against the Hokies (6-3-2, 1-3-1 ACC).
Virginia Tech was aggressive early on, creating pressure to get any chance it could at a shot. With just five shots, NC State struggled to crack Virginia Tech’s defense in the first half, but made up for it on the defensive end, allowing just three shots.
The Wolfpack did have its chances though. In the 20th minute, junior forward Drew Lovelace made a diving header attempt that Virginia Tech’s goalie saved. Though it was deflected to redshirt junior Aidan Payne, he couldn’t get the rebound past the netminder.
Just two minutes later off a corner kick, sophomore forward Donovan Phillip put a header toward the net that was saved by the Hokies goalie.
In the second half, NC State began to press more in attempt to score a goal and earn three points on the road. As the game entered the last 20 minutes, both NC State and Virginia Tech played more aggressive offensively as the sides combined for nine shots.
Despite the strong attempts from both sides to net the game-winner, NC State and Virginia Tech came up empty-handed. And whenever the Hokies or Wolfpack got shots on net, fifth-year goalkeeper Enzo Carvalho and Hokies keeper Cooper Wenzell stonewalled the chances to earn clean sheets.
Sophomore forward Hakim Karamoko led the Wolfpack with three shots, coming close to securing points for his team. He was followed by Phillip and senior midfielder Henrique Santos with two shots. It was Carvalho’s second shutout of the season as he followed in the footsteps of his teammate junior goalkeeper Logan Erb who recorded a clean sheet last week.
Despite leaving Virginia Tech without a win, NC State went undefeated on its road trip against then-ranked No. 2 Stanford and the No. 24 Hokies. The Wolfpack showed it can compete with some of the best in the ACC and moving forward it will need to win those games to make a case for the NCAA Tournament it hasn’t been in since 2019.
Next up NC State returns home to face off against Hofstra at Dail Soccer Field on Tuesday, Oct. 15th.
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