The NC State women’s soccer team shut out Coastal Carolina, 3-0, Thursday at Dail Soccer Stadium.
The Wolfpack (3-0-0) won its third straight match to open the season while the Chanticleers dropped to 2-1-0 after the loss.
“Everything’s pretty solid right now,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “We have been pretty consistent over the first three games … it’s nice to see consistency in our game, defending, attacking and across the whole line.”
After dominating possession for most of the first half, the Pack broke the scoreless tie in the 29th minute on a goal by sophomore midfielder Ricci Walkling. A chain of passes led to Walkling taking possession and connecting on a goal from inside the box to the right side of the goal, just inside the post. The score was Walkling’s first of the season, and sophomore Tziarra King and junior Hannah Keogh were both credited with assists.
The Pack held possession for nearly the entire first half while outshooting the Chanticleers 10-0 during that same timespan. Of the 10 shots by State, four were on goal.
The Wolfpack struck again early in the second half. In the 49th minute, sophomore forward Kia Rankin placed the ball in the back of the net for her second goal of the season. Rankin and Coastal Carolina goalkeeper Rylee Atteberry both contested an open-field ball, with Rankin winning the battle and running past Atteberry for the score. The goal put the Wolfpack up 2-0.
Keogh nearly increased the Pack’s lead just five minutes later, when she ripped a shot off the top post from outside the box. The threat was eventually thwarted by the Chanticleer defense, but the Wolfpack kept up the offensive pressure throughout the second half.
As the game winded down, King added to her assist with a goal in the 84th minute off an assist from freshman midfielder Naomi Powell, King’s second score of the year, which came on her birthday, nonetheless. Her shot came from the left side of the box past the diving Coastal Carolina goalkeeper.
“I was looking for a birthday goal today, and it happened for me,” King said “That was the goal and it happened.”
The Wolfpack lead held through the remaining minutes as they defeated the Chanticleers 3-0 and outshot them 18-2 on the night.
“I just feel like we’re progressing from where we were last year,” King said. “We are starting to feel each other out better, so that’s really good.”
The Wolfpack’s next contest will take place at home at Dail Soccer Stadium on Sept. 1 when the team takes on Princeton. The match is set to kick off at 8 p.m.
