N.C. State came to Method Road Stadium Thursday afternoon looking for its first conference win of the season and a nice memory to save for the team’s lone senior on Senior Day.

Things didn’t go exactly as planned as the Wolfpack fell to No. 18 Wake Forest, 4-2.

It was the final home game of the season for State (6-9-3, 0-8-1 ACC), and it was a physical and emotional match with the Demon Deacons (10-5-3, 5-2-2 ACC).

The loss was particularly tough for senior midfielder Jessica O’Rourke.

“It’s sad,” O’Rourke, the only senior on the team, said. “It would be great if we could start winning some games, but we gave it all we had.”

Coach Laura Kerrigan was emotional as well. After asking the referee about letting the game continue while a State player was injured but not while a Wake player was down, the ref described his distaste for Kerrigan’s voice as so great that should he hear it again, he would throw her out.

Offense was hardly an issue for the Pack throughout the game.

“We were playing well and moving the ball around, playing great attacking soccer,” Kerrigan said. “But then we gave up a crappy goal. We were all very frustrated by that.”

The first goal of the game was a tap in by Maggie Horne of Wake Forest at the 4:18 mark on what appeared to be a miscommunication between Pack goalkeeper Rachel Barnette and defender Alex Berger.

With many players pressing on offense, the State defenders frequently let the ball roll out for a goal kick rather than handle in deep in their own zone while outnumbered.

At one point, sophomore defender Briana Cunningham blocked a Wake Forest player from the ball for nearly 10 seconds, only for it to roll to a stop just in bounds and be cleared out to the side.

The defensive issues were the result of mental lapses, according to O’Rourke.

“We have to be strong mentally,” she said. “We’ll have a little mental break, and they’ll take advantage of that. Just like any team, they’re going to put it away when that happens.”

Early on in the second half State scored its second goal on a shot by freshman forward Kara Baldy, tying the game at two goals a piece.

However, Wake Forest took the lead back 17 seconds later, leaving the Pack and their fans stunned and frustrated.

“The third goal was key,” said Kerrigan. “We were doing so well and creating more than they were, but we gave up a goal less than a minute after we had got back into the game.”