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Freshman midfielder/forward Stephanie Bronson makes a play on the goal while fighting off three LSU defensive players during Monday’s game. Photo by Matt Nudi.
The Wolfpack notched a dramatic 1-0 win over the LSU Tigers after a two hour and six minute delay due to a lightning warning.
The game started off as a defensive struggle between the two teams until freshman Shelli Spamer shot a rocket from straight on in the 37th minute of the match. Even though the shot was saved by LSU goalie Megan Kinneman the attempt started the Pack’s motor on the offensive end.
After two more shots on goal during the first half the N.C . State offensive attack finally pulled through with a goal from senior Alex Berger in the 34th minute of the match. It was shot from straight on and was tipped in mid-air by Kinneman until it rolled gently to the back of the net. The tally marks the senior’s third goal on both the season and her career.
“I’m so blessed,” Berger said. “I just thank God. He’s with me all the time. That’s the only thing that was on my mind. I couldn’t believe it.”
The second half concluded with a sliding shot from freshman Kristina Argiroff that was saved by Kinnenman in the 51st minute. Goalkeeper Kim Kern kept the Tigers at bay with two more saves for the shutout.
The Pack had an extended halftime due to the lightning delay, which lasted for two hours and six minutes. During the delay the team did its best to keep its mental energy directed towards the task at hand.
“We went into the locker room, relaxed and tried to stay focused,” Berger said. “We talked about being smart, we knew the field was going to be slick when we came out”
According to coach Steve Springthorpe , the Pack kept itself loose during the delay and even got to bond as a team.
“When you’re sitting in a locker room for two hours, you can’t say a lot,” Springthorpe said. “They just went in, played music, talked and got to know each other.”
The second half proved to be the Kim Kern show. Her play shined above the rest during the half, which included three saves in the second half, totaling at five for the match, which included two critical saves during the final ten minutes of the game to keep the game at a shutout.
“Kim was big time,” Springthorpe said. “Probably two or three big time legit saves that she made for us on key possessions of the game. She’s been really good this year. Actually she was fantastic for us last year. She’s just continued and been so confident as of right now and making a huge impact for our team.”
Despite the lead, the Pack kept on attacking with another four shots on goal.
“It’s too early to sit on a 1-0 lead at halftime,” Springthorpe said. “If you get stuck into your habit and you can’t get out it’s just going to cause issues for your team. We wanted to keep on attacking, but the final ten minutes was about sewing it up and keeping the win.”
With this win State improved its record to 4-0. Its next match will be against the Penn State Nittany Lions on September 2nd at University Park, Pa.