The NC State women’s soccer team looks to bounce back from last year’s rough season. Though this year’s team is young, talented new recruits and the leadership of returning players provides reason for optimism.
Last year the Pack struggled and ended the season with a 4-15 record. The team went 0-10 in conference play and finished the season on an 11-game skid. Though the team struggled, there were some bright spots as the Pack beat Elon (9-8-2) and East Tennessee State (9-9-1). The season ended with two tough losses against conference opponents No. 1 Virginia and No. 22 Duke.
The Pack lost eight players to graduation: Alyson Brown, Shannon Cleaver, Caroline Gentry, Jenna Kalwa, Michelle Oestreich, Brittany Stanko, Danya Tomayko and Alexa Allen. Allen was the second-leading scorer last season with three goals. While this is a lot of players, there is still some talent returning for the Pack. Redshirt junior Jackie Stengel is poised once again to lead the team in goal scoring. She led last year in shots on goal with 18 and goals made with five.
To help with the losses from graduation, head coach Tim Santoro did a solid job of recruiting by bringing in a strong recruiting class of seven players. The class includes Grayson Cameron, Tziarra King, Kia Rankin, Kristina Schuster, Michaella van Maanen, Ricarda Walking and Frances Henshall. Schuster and Walking are both from Germany, which adds some cultural diversity to the roster.
“Because of how early recruiting cycles work, we have targeted this 2016 class since the day we arrived in Raleigh a few years ago,” Santoro said in an interview with GoPack. “Every position is addressed and done so at a high level. We put in a lot of time and effort to get this group to Raleigh and we are satisfied with the results. This class is another important step to help make NC State a very competitive ACC program. The 2016s, combined with our returning players, get us closer to the roster makeup we envisioned and closer to taking the next step with this program.”
The youth of this year’s team makes this season one for rebuilding and development. The team features 11 freshmen and five sophomores. Though the team is young, players such as senior Rachel Cox and sophomore Taylor Porter look to help the number of shots taken on goal. Cox had five last season and Porter had three.
“The individuals have to improve their weaknesses but we do want to win the games,” Santoro said in his interview with GoPack in February. “I think any time you’re trying to build a program up, winning is important. We’ve got to balance development and winning throughout the spring.
Last Friday, the team tied with Richmond 1-1 in an exhibition game. “It was the first time we played 11 v. 11 this year,” Santoro said. “The score line wasn’t indicative of the game, but you learn from it and get ready for the first real game next weekend.” The regular season starts on Friday with the Wake Forest tournament in Winston-Salem as the Pack takes on La Salle and then faces San Diego two days later.
The team hopes to find chemistry with the new roster while also developing the freshmen and winning a fair share of games. This young, diverse and talented group gives State fans a reason to be optimistic and to expect more wins than last season.
