NC State’s men’s soccer lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to No. 22 Syracuse, 5-0, to end its 2023 season. This is the Pack’s fourth consecutive first-round elimination in the ACC tournament.
The Pack (6-9-3, 1-5-2 ACC) tied with Syracuse (8-3-6, 2-1-5 ACC) only two games prior to this matchup, which indicated the red-and-white would have a good chance of winning this game if it brought some offensive fire to the pitch. However, the Orange offense came out of the gate hot and stayed hot for the rest of the night.
Freshman goalkeeper Samuel Terranova tried to keep the Orange at bay, but its relentless efforts ultimately broke down the Pack defense. Terranova faced 14 shots in 90 minutes of play, seven of which were on goal, and saved two early on.
Syracuse started its crusade early in the game, tallying with four shots in the first 17 minutes and its first goal in the 25th minute. NC State and the Orange traded fouls until the 40th minute, when Syracuse scored again. The red-and-white tried to get time on the offensive side of the ball once it settled into the game but only racked up five shots, just two on goal, the whole night.
The Pack’s offense started to wake up in the second half, but it was too little, too late. Even with the majority of NC State’s shots coming in the latter 45 minutes of the night, it was unable to connect on any of them. The Orange hammered home the season-ending loss with two goals within three minutes of each other and a final goal in the 81st minute.
Terranova, freshman right wing Hakim Karamoko and junior midfielder Vusumzi Plamana were all standouts for the Pack in this game. Terranova faced an onslaught of offensive rigor against Syracuse and stayed cool enough to play all 90 minutes. Karamoko led the team with two shots, one on goal, in the 53 minutes he played. Plamana had the other shot on goal.
This loss marks a disappointing end to the year for the Wolfpack, but there is hope for next season as long as the coaching staff can retain and harness the talent currently on the roster in an effective manner. The Pack finished its regular season with draws against two ranked teams, which is promising for the fall of 2024. NC State performed well at home on its own turf this year, but it will need to take that energy with it to all of its games next season.
