The N.C. State men’s soccer team defeated High Point by a score of 2-1 on a clear, cool Wednesday night at Dail Soccer Stadium, earning its tenth win of the year and bringing its overall record to 10-3-1 on the season.
The contest began with back-and-forth offensive attacks from both squads. High Point got some early chances at the goal from consecutive corner kicks, but State’s defense was up to the task of stopping the rush by allowing only one shot on goal the entire first half of the game.
“High Point beat us last year so the guys were motivated for the victory,” assistant coach Dan Popik said,
With thirty minutes left in the first period of play, State’s offensive game started to heat up as redshirt sophomore midfielder Kris Byrd and senior midfielder Alan Sanchez made multiple shot attempts from within the offensive zone. The result, however, was not there as sophomore goalkeeper Michael Chesler made a few key stops for High Point to keep the score even.
With five minutes to go until halftime, High Point took advantage of a foul call and had an opportunity to net the first goal on a free kick. The defense was able to shut down the play and preserve the 0-0 tie going into halftime.
“We started off pretty good in the first half and really stepped it up in the second half,” senior midfielder Alan Sanchez said.
State started the second half off strong on the offensive side of the field. Redshirt senior forward Ronnie Bouemboue had a scoring opportunity on a free kick, but missed the goal just wide.
The first goal of the contest came in the 73rd minute when junior midfielder Chris Zuerner netted a cross feed from senior defenseman Korede Aiyegbusi. The goal propelled the Pack’s attack and offensive play increased even more on both sides of the field.
With five minutes to play in the contest, State was nursing a 1-0 lead and looking to keep the shutout alive. High Point began its attack and made multiple shots on goal. In the 85th minute, High Point freshman forward Shawn Sloan scored the tying goal with less than five minutes to play.
“We were looking for the shutout. We came out last game [against Wake Forest] and didn’t get the result we wanted,” junior defenseman Tyler Lassiter said.
After the equalizer was netted, the play intensified even more as both teams looked to net a winner in regulation time. The intense play led to a foul being called with 20 seconds left, setting up senior midfielder Alan Sanchez with a free kick.
Sanchez lifted the ball over the wall of High Point defenders and into the back of the net for the game winner.
“I really wanted to take [the free kick] and things worked out for us tonight,” Sanchez said.
The solid defensive unit was on display again tonight as State outshot High point 15-6.
“We have a good defensive unit, but we need to build up our midfielders and forwards a little more,” Popik said.
The No. 14-ranked Pack will play host to Centenary on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at Dail Soccer Stadium. The Pack looks to build a winning streak off of this contest as it moves toward its goal of making the NCAA tournament and obtaining a favorable seed. Look for the Pack to create more offensive opportunities in the next game as that will be a main point of emphasis in their next practice, according to Popik.
“We’ve got to work hard to make the NCAA tournament and work harder than the other team,” Sanchez said.
