In the program’s first time ever taking the field as the No. 1 team in the nation, NC State men’s soccer posted a 1-1 draw at Pitt in an evenly matched battle.
The Wolfpack (7-0-2, 1-0-2 ACC) finally surrendered its first goal of the year — over halfway through the season after 732 consecutive minutes of holding opponents scoreless. The Panthers’ (4-4-2, 0-2-1 ACC) goal proved costly as the Pack’s offense never got going and scored just once.
The match started out with a near-instant goal from the Wolfpack just two minutes into the match. NC State seized the lead with a mad dash past Pitt’s defense, as junior forward Donovan Phillip sent a heater into the back of the net, catching the Panthers lacking.
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With the goal, Philip widened his lead as the nation’s leading goal scorer across all of college soccer. With 13 goals this year, Philip is running away from the field as the nation’s best offensive scorer.
The Pack’s lead was short-lived, as just 10 minutes later, Pitt answered with a goal of its own. With a corner kick opportunity, the Panthers perfectly placed a pass inside to set up a goal-scoring header, thus ending the Pack’s streak of eight shutouts to open the season.
With the game knotted at one apiece, neither side could earn an advantage the rest of the way. The Wolfpack proved to be the more aggressive team offensively, taking 19 shots compared to Pitt’s five. However, Pitt goalkeeper Jack Moxom relentlessly defended the Panther goal and made seven saves throughout the evening.
The red-and-whites’ best chance at taking the lead came 73 minutes into the match. Phillip proved to be dangerous with the ball and appeared to score, but the goal was waved off and the Wolfpack remained stuck at just a single goal.
Despite the undefeated start overall for the Wolfpack this season, the red-and-white has just one victory in three ACC matches. With seven games to go, including 5 ACC games, the schedule ramps up quickly for NC State with five ranked ACC opponents on the horizon. To hang on to its prestigious No. 1 ranking, NC State will have to run through a gauntlet of college soccer’s best teams.
Next up, NC State will take on UNC-Wilmington in Wilmington for a non-conference showdown. The Pack and the Seahawks are scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Streaming coverage is available on FloSports.
