The N.C . State men’s soccer team has built up momentum heading into their game Saturday at 7 p.m . against Richmond. The Wolfpack is coming off an impressive showing at the Duke/Nike Classic this weekend and hopes to continue their strong play against the Spiders.
At the Duke/Nike Classic, State played well against SMU, who at the time was ranked eighth nationally, resulting in a 1-0 win in overtime by the heroics of sophomore defender Gbenga Makinde . Two days later, though, the Pack fell to ninth-ranked U.C . Santa Barbara. With a sense of potential and momentum from the weekend, State enters Saturday’s match with confidence.
The story for the Richmond Spiders is totally different. Richmond, so far this season, is 0-4-0 with three of those losses by 3 goals or more. The Spiders are coming off a 10-1 loss against Coastal Carolina. Entering a game against the up-and-coming Pack, Richmond has to fight to stop their downward slide.
Freshman midfielder Ollie Kelly spoke of how even with State’s progress and Richmond’s recent struggles, the team is still treating this game like any other with the additional confidence that the previous weekend has given them.
“We try to treat every game the same,” Kelly said. “We try to think about how we perform in practice and how we will potentially perform in the game. If we do this then we shouldn’t have trouble.”
Defense for the Pack should not be an issue, as they have only allowed one goal this whole season, and the Spider’s offense is not very potent, scoring only three goals this season. However, State’s offense has been struggling to produce. Playing a Richmond team that has allowed 22 goals in their four games this season could provide the spark that could light the Pack’s offense on fire.
Redshirt freshman forward Nazmi Albadawi , who has seen none of his team leading 15 shots converted into goals this season, spoke of this opportunity while also recognizing the dangers of underestimating Richmond.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for us to score some goals and I think it’s a good chance for us to show what we have,” Albadawi said. “But we’re not underestimating Richmond at all, because every game is different and you never know what is going to happen. I’m confident that we’re going to score some goals, but all we’re really thinking about now is getting the win.”
Albadawi also spoke of the momentum the Pack is experiencing going into the game against Richmond after their recent strong performances against top ranked teams.
“The games this weekend let us know we can play with the best no matter what, and we have the potential to be up there with everyone else in the country,” Albadawi said. “And now we just have to go out there and prove it against teams like Richmond and the ACC.”
The last time the Pack played Richmond was in 2001. Just days over 10 years ago, State fell to Richmond 3-1. A decade later, State wants to write a different story.
State is hoping to roll through their match against Richmond and continue building the tide of momentum into their next match, No. 2 Maryland at College Park next Friday. With the steam built up from their strong showings against top-10 ranked SMU and U.C . Santa Barbara, the Pack may find the push they need against Richmond and carry it over to brew a potential upset for Maryland.
