As the mercury hit 85 degrees Sunday afternoon, N.C . State beat North Florida by 3-0 in what proved to be a fairly one-sided game for the Pack.
The Wolfpack battled it out against the Ospreys (3-4-1), who in their only previous meeting had seen the Pack triumph and looked set to avenge that loss. It wasn’t to be, as the Pack, fresh from their win against High Point, started the game fast with the offense going all guns blazing from the first whistle.
The Ospreys, coached by former N.C . State All-American and 1988 ACC Player of the Year, Linda Hamilton, soon fell behind in the 13th minute when freshman midfielder Julia Sandridge was at the right place at the right time as after a corner kick that was punched out by the goal keeper, Sandridge volleyed the ball from outside the box at the top left corner which the Ospreys defender on the line could at best, just help in.
“Julia’s goal was well taken,” Coach Steve Springthorpe said. “First time ball and the ball is punched out on top of the 18 and the ball was placed in the top left corner. It was good.”
Tanya Cain started the second half strongly with some impressive dribbling and dangerous shots, supported by her strike partner, freshman forward Stephanie Bronson, who ripped apart the UNF defense with her speed and amazing vision.
Bronson soon got the goal she deserved in the 65th minute when she controlled the highball and also managed to beat the goalkeeper with the same touch and held off two defenders to slot in the ball in the empty net.
It was a special moment for the Pack as the goal also coincided with the flyover of the two fighter jets, which were a part of the ceremonies to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
“It was really exciting to see the fighter jets fly over just after my goal,” Bronson said. “It was special.”
In the 67th minute, Bronson was in the thick of action again as she scored her second goal to double her tally for the afternoon after Cain provided the ball for Bronson to stab in her third for the season. Bronson looked menacing and was surely the star of the game as she never seemed to stop and made numerous runs to make sure the Pack kept the game beyond the reach of the Ospreys.
“I feel really good.” Bronson said. “I am so excited. This is my [third] time scoring.”
Bronson said her speed was one the strongest facets of her game and was happy that her teammates took full advantage of that.
“I have always been known for being really fast,” Bronson said. “That has always been one of the most important parts of my game.”
The defense was also on top of their game, and despite some lapses in concentration, the Wolfpack never let the Ospreys seize the initiative .
Freshmen defender Shelli Spamer was satisfied by the team’s performance on the field.
“It was very good,” Spamer said. “Probably wasn’t our best game today but we had a shutout and that was what we aimed for.”
Spamer credited the senior players in the team in bringing out the best in her.
“I look up to them a lot, there are a lot of leaders,” Spamer said. “They have put me in a good place and they have taught me to work hard and fight for everything.”
The Pack dominated the game with 21 shots, which Coach Springthorpe was happy about.
“In the beginning I told them, if we need a shut out, the first and foremost important thing is to keep the ball away from the back of the net,” Springthorpe said. “The three goals, we’ll take them, but we also had many great opportunities that we should have had put away.”
Springthorpe , whose team managed just seven wins all season last year, have already achieved seven wins in their first eight games. For that, he chose to credit his team alone, but claimed the games that would matter were yet to come.
“Its been a good start, the girls have practiced hard, they’ve been focused on what the plan is,” Springthorpe said. “Our real season begins now with conference play against Carolina on Friday.”
Springthorpe’s team, which plays the No. 1 team in the nation, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill next, has a plan to fight it out against the Tarheels .
“We will have to play a little differently than we have played in the non-conference schedule,” Springthorpe said. “They will provide a different type of challenge and I would expect that we would do our best to limit their opportunities at goal. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were more defensive, but we are still going try and score goals and win the game.”
