The No. 22 NC State men’s soccer team (TopDrawer Soccer poll) will take on No. 4 Wake Forest at Dail Soccer Stadium Friday night in its fifth ACC match-up of the season.
The Wolfpack (6-2-2, 1-1-2 ACC) enters the contest off a huge double-overtime tie against No. 7 Notre Dame Sunday. Leading scorer and sophomore midfielder Zach Knudson leveled the score at one goal apiece in the 76th minute when he received a chip inside the box from freshman midfielder Julius Duchscherer and dispatched it powerfully into the top left corner of the net via an acrobatic bicycle kick.
The Demon Deacons (8-1-1, 3-0-1 ACC) enter the match with the confidence of being ranked No. 4 in the nation, recording their only loss against Elon Sept.15. Wake Forest has not lost a game on the road yet, a streak NC State looks to end.
Senior midfielder/forward Michael Gamble leads the Demon Deacons in goals with six on the season so far, followed by freshman midfielder Jack Harrison and sophomore forward Jon Bakero, who have each recorded four goals.
The Deacons are anchored by junior central midfielders Jacori Hayes and Ian Harkes, both of whom have experience with the U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team.
NC State’s midfield quartet has been excellent so far but will face the toughest test yet against some of the best players in the country, and the possession-focused game plan the Pack executed well against opponents like Notre Dame might falter against the supreme athleticism and technical ability of Gamble, Harkes and Hayes.
State’s midfield group of junior Yanni Hachem, sophomores Knudson and Cameron Steele and freshman Duchscherer must maintain a disciplined shape throughout the match and cannot be wasteful with their passes. Furthermore, a strong defensive effort is going to be extremely important from the Wolfpack back four.
The back line, which includes sophomore Caleb Duvernay, senior Holden Fender, senior Reed Norton and freshman Simon Blotko, has only allowed 83 shots this season.
When starting together, this defensive group, along with senior goalkeeper Alex McCauley, has conceded more than one goal just once on the season, away against Davidson.
However, in conference, NC State has looked vulnerable on set pieces late in the first half, conceding to Virginia, Louisville and Notre Dame in this fashion before having to look for an equalizer.
This means the Pack must find success offensively earlier in the match, an area where the team has struggled for consistency, recording 130 shots on the season but scoring 17 goals. Of those 17, only five were scored by forwards.
In matches against Virginia, Boston College, Notre Dame and Louisville, the Wolfpack failed to put away first-half chances despite creating opportunities to take the lead. Of the team’s four consistently played forwards, Only Ade Taiwo has recorded more than a solitary goal this season, with two.
Since knocking off Boston College in overtime, State has lost and tied conference opposition, so a win against a top-five opponent would give the team needed momentum for a strong regular season finish.
Four of the team’s final six matches are ACC games and will include tough games against Clemson, Duke and Syracuse, as well as a ranked matchup against No. 18 South Carolina.
With home-field advantage, NC State will have a chance to end the Demon Deacons’ undefeated run through the ACC, which includes wins in three of their four previous ACC games and one tie against Clemson Sept. 26.
