Coming off a close loss to rival Carolina in its last game, the Wolfpack’s intensity was evident from the minute it took the field. In the first half, aggressive play on both sides led to thirteen fouls, but it wasn’t until almost the 44-minute mark that a goal was scored. Freshman forward Nader Jaibat scored his first career goal off an assist from junior midfielder Watt Williams.
The momentum from Jaibat’s goal carried into the second half, with senior midfielder Chris Zuerner scoring within three minutes of the start of second half play. Intense play continued throughout the half, as thirteen more fouls were accumulated.
“I felt like it was a physical game on both sides, it’s something we’ve got to get used to,” junior goalie Will Mackvick said. “A lot of times we play these out of conference games, and we come against a team and they’ve got every motivation to try and beat you. So we came up, showed up, and won. It was kind of tight in the first half, but the goal at the end of the first half really helped us out. It just helped our chances.”
State padded its lead when freshman Sonny Mukungu was taken down inside the penalty box to set up a penalty kick. Senior defender Tyler Lassiter converted the PK to bring the lead to 3-0.
“I was just ready to score, ready to keep my team in the lead, give it momentum and keep it playing,” Lassiter said. “It felt great because it’s great to score a goal when you’re a defender.”
The last goal of the night was scored at the 80:16 mark by freshman defender Marmadou Kansaye, who kicked it in off a deflection by junior forward Craig Sutherland.
Mackvick has played every minute of the past four games, including Wednesday night’s shutout, when he made four saves. Mackvick credited his success to the hard work of the defense.
“Centerbacks play the whole time and goalkeepers play the whole time, it’s just the nature of the position,” Mackvick said. “Tonight we didn’t have a whole lot of shots. It’s always the defense that keeps things close. It was a huge game. You play your out of conference games at home, and you have to win them. It’s a must win, every single one of them. I was glad a win came out of it.”
The men’s soccer team’s next game will be Saturday, when it will take the road to play at Maryland.
“Every win is important,” coach George Tarantini said. “Tonight we worked very hard in the second half. We did a pretty good job and we had the opportunity to play a lot more players and get used to one another, which is what we’re trying to do. We had a lot of opportunities to score and that’s what we were looking for.”
