The NC State women’s soccer team downed Rhode Island 4-0 with a first half offensive barrage on Thursday, Aug. 18 for the Pack’s first win of the 2022 regular season.
Now 1-0, the win showed the talent, teamwork, chemistry and offensive firepower that the Wolfpack possesses. The onslaught in the first half saw all four goals scored in a span of just 23 minutes.
The Wolfpack clearly displayed its proficiency with passing and teamwork on every single goal. With a few beautiful assists on crosses into the box, senior forward Leyah Hall-Robinson stood out among a stellar group of Wolfpack attackers that also includes senior forwards Alexis Strickland and Jameese Joseph. Hall-Robinson had a career-high two assists and exemplified the team’s stellar passing showcase in the win.
“[Passing] is what we pride ourselves on,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “A lot of people say they pass the ball, but we do.”
Hall-Robinson’s impressive night started with an assist to Strickland for the first goal of the season. Strickland, a transfer from Oklahoma and a standout in her own right, showed just how fast she’s gelling with the team by knocking in Hall-Robinson’s cross from outside the box into the goal.
“I love Lexi, I love to play with her in the middle,” Hall-Robinson said. “I know if I’m playing out wide and she’s in the middle, I know she’s going to be in the box and put away the ball I put in there.”
The Hall-Robinson to Strickland connection was furthered in the 30th minute when Hall-Robinson sent an even better cross into the box, once again intended for her newly minted teammate. Strickland reflected the cross off her head, over the keeper and into the back corner of the net for her second goal and Hall-Robinson’s second assist of the night.
But Hall-Robinson didn’t just help her teammates, as she nabbed a score of her own in the 25th minute when she received a beautiful through ball from Joseph that put her one-on-one with the goalkeeper. After making a nice move around the Rams’ keeper, Hall-Robinson didn’t think twice about sending the ball into the empty net.
The final score of the match came just five minutes later when freshman Taylor Chism scored her first goal with the Wolfpack off a deflected corner kick, putting one more goal in between NC State and Rhode Island.
A quiet night for a keeper is typically a good one, and star junior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta certainly had a quiet night. With four saves, her defense and the offense’s constant pressure kept Rhode Island out of the defensive third of the field for a large majority of the match.
Even when not scoring, the Pack’s passing game seemed to be firing on all cylinders. NC State continually slipped passes through defending lines to advance the ball downfield, keeping pressure on the Rams even after the first half scoring onslaught. While Hall-Robinson thinks the team can improve even more, NC State’s teamwork and chemistry was crystal clear all night long.
“[Teamwork] is really good right now and I feel like it can get a lot better,” Hall-Robinson said. “As we go on through the season, it’s gonna get better and better. I think it’s gonna be a great season for us.”
The NC State women’s soccer squad has a chance to show out once again on Sunday, Aug. 21 against VCU, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. at Dail Soccer Field.
“I think this is just the beginning for us, just the start from us.” Hall-Robinson said. “I know we can keep doing this to any team we play.”
