In the Wolfpack’s final game of the season at Dail Soccer Stadium, N.C . State (10-7-2, 1-6-2 ACC) will host No. 1 Duke (15-2-1, 7-1-1 ACC) in what will prove to be a tough encounter for the Pack.
State will be celebrating senior day by honoring the six graduating seniors on the 2011 team. The opponent, Duke, is currently the No. 1 team in the ACC and the nation.
Guaranteed to have his best ever finish in his three-year tenure at State, coach Steve Springthorpe said he admits it will be a challenge to overcome Duke, but fully believes the team will give everything it has to send the seniors off in style.
“They are obviously a very good team and pose a major challenge for us, but we want to do our best to send the seniors out on a winning note,” Springthorpe said. ”We are preparing how to best defend their attack, they have some fantastic goal scorers.
“We’ll just prepare for that and see what we can do on Thursday.”
Perhaps the last game that will be played this season by the team, subject to NCAA tournament invitations, Springthorpe said he feels proud of what the team has achieved during the year.
“I think the progression of the team over the last couple of years has been great,” Springthorpe said. “I think we are defending much better, we are much more competitive in our conference. Even though the wins have been hard to find, the games have all been very close. Our RPI is in the top 40 in the country, and so that’s a positive thing.
“Our team hasn’t been in that position in a long while. There are definitely some positive things we have accomplished.”
Goalkeeper Kim Kern, currently leading the ACC in saves, said Thursday night is a must-win game, as they want to sign off on a winning note. Kern is one of the seniors who will be honored before the game.
“It’s the last home game we are going to have here and it could possibly be the last game for the team,” Kern said. “So it’s kind off a do or die situation.”
Kern said she feels the program is heading in the right direction and is happy to know that even after her graduation, the program will be in safe hands.
“The program is going in the right direction even if it’s slower than what we thought it would be,” Kern said. “But we are taking steps in the right direction and doing something right. [Victoria Hopkins] red-shirted, so this is her second year training under [ Springthorpe ]. She has been putting in hard work, and has really stepped up.”
Senior forward Tanya Cain, joint-leader in goals and second in points for the Pack, said she feels it is an honor to represent State. At the prospect of playing her last ever game for the Pack, Cain admits there is a lot she will miss.
“I am going to miss my teammates; all of them are amazing people,” Cain said. “They are different in their own ways. Having this community around you is just something great to be a part of.”
Cain said it feels great going into the game, as there is a lot at stake and a good result would increase their chances of making it to the promised land of an NCAA bid, something the team has never achieved during her time with the Pack.
“It feels great to be honest,” Cain said. “It’s our last game, there’s a lot riding on it and basically if we win, we have a good chance of making the NCAA tournament, which we haven’t done in the whole time I have been here. I see it as a challenge and I am ready.
“I know we’ll give everything we have, and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”
Kickoff between the Blue Devils and Wolfpack is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium.
