In NC State Athletics’ home opener, the Wolfpack women’s soccer team defeated Navy 4-1 at Dail Soccer Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Led by freshman left-winger Tziarra King, the Wolfpack struck at the beginning of both halves and never looked back. Coming off of a 1-0 loss to San Diego last week, NC State improved to 2-2-0 on the season while Navy fell to 0-3-1.
“It was a complete performance,” said NC State head coach Tim Santoro. “We were very good for 90 minutes … Every player that stepped on the field did their role.”
Santoro’s starting lineup consisted of five freshmen, and the Wolfpack received significant contributions from its first-year players.
NC State displayed a consistent offensive attack in the first half by taking 10 shots to Navy’s two. The Wolfpack broke through at the eight-minute mark with a beautiful lob by sophomore Hannah Keogh over the heads of the Navy backline. Sophomore Taylor Porter then headed the ball over goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby’s outstretched arms for her first goal of the season.
King showcased some incredible footwork, weaving in and out of the Navy defense and registering three shots on goal in the first half alone.
Wetherby kept her team in the game, logging multiple impressive saves for the Midshipmen in the first half.
Navy’s attacks in the first half were few and far between as NC State’s defense prevented any significant threat of scoring.
King connected on an early unassisted second-half goal for her first of the season when she evaded multiple Navy defenders to sneak a shot by Wetherby.
“It was crazy,” King said. “It was awesome that all my hard work is paying off.”
In the 51st minute, the Wolfpack connected on a string of passes, ending with King putting away a cross by redshirt junior Jackie Stengel, King’s second goal of the day.
In the second half, the Wolfpack played more defensively, limiting the Midshipmen to a single shot, but the Wolfpack still managed to put multiple shots on goal.
NC State freshman Ricarda Walkling scored at the 88-minute mark when she cut past two defenders and ripped a low shot from outside the box to the far post.
Navy’s Clare MacAdam caught the Wolfpack defense off guard and put one away in the 89th minute.
In the end, the Wolfpack came away with an impressive 4-1 victory against an experienced Navy team. NC State outshot Navy 17-4 for the day, and Porter, Walkling and King combined for four Wolfpack goals.
“The crowd definitely hyped everyone up; it’s great to see that people came out to see us today,” King said when asked about the atmosphere at Dail for her first home match.
The Wolfpack will take on High Point on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Dail Soccer Stadium.
Freshman midfielder Ricarda Walkling takes a shot and scores in the 88th minute off an assist from freshman midfielder Michaella van Maanen. Walkling had a goal and an assist in her 62 minutes of play. The Wolfpack put in a dominant performance, winning 4-1 over Navy during its home opener Aug. 28 in Dail Soccer Stadium.
