It took overtime but the NC State women’s soccer team collected its second win of ACC play with a 3-2 win over Syracuse on Thursday night.
Senior defender Kia Rankin secured the win for the Wolfpack with a brilliant right-footed curler just three minutes into overtime.
“We talked about going one v one end line,” Rankin said. “So I took the chance because it’s overtime we’re trying to get an early goal. I was able to beat my defender and I took a touch inside again. I saw the far post was open so I tried to slot it home and thank God it went in.”
The match was the fifth overtime game of ACC play for the Wolfpack (7-5-4, 2-2-4 ACC) and the first in which it has been able to grab the golden goal. The Orange (3-10-2, 1-6-1 ACC) has struggled so far in ACC play but the match proved to be another test of the Pack’s resilience.
“I don’t think we got lucky at all,” Rankin said. “I think it’s just a testament to our team knowing that whenever overtime comes, we can’t shut down and we have to get a result and today we did so, I think it was pure hard work and pure grit to get that one, not luck at all.”
The Wolfpack controlled a majority of the first half, outshooting the Orange 12-3 in the opening 45 minutes. While the Pack controlled the game it was the Orange who struck first through Kailee Coonan in the 12th minute of the match.
Senior defender Krissi Schuster brought the Pack back level just over 20 minutes later with a fantastic shot from distance. The Orange managed to clear out one of the Wolfpack’s short corner routines before it fell to Schuster who, with her first touch, blasted it over the head of Syracuse’s keeper leveling the match at 1-1.
The Wolfpack then took the lead with less than four minutes left in the half through senior forward Tziarra King. Like the first goal, this one came as a result of one of the Pack’s set-piece routines. Redshirt Sophomore Lulu Guttenberger stood over the freekick a few yards outside the box and passed it short to senior Ricci Walkling who played it in behind to King. King then did what she does best and slotted it calmly past the keeper.
While the Wolfpack thrived on its own set-pieces, it also cost them the second goal as Syracuse’s second-half equalizer came after the Pack failed to clear a corner.
“It’s nice to see some of that work,” NC State head coach Tim Santoro said. “But we gave one up. Tonight we gave up, I think our second goal was off a corner. We do a lot of training on all that stuff.”
Walkling had a chance to put the Pack back in the lead just four minutes later after King was dragged down in the box and the Wolfpack was given a penalty. Walkling put it low and to the keeper’s left but the keeper read it and made the save.
Freshman keeper Eden Milan got the start in net against Syracuse, the first of her NC State career. Milan had played in two matches, Duquesne and East Carolina, prior to Syracuse but both were as a substitute. Against Syracuse, Milan played the entire match and made two saves on eight shots faced and conceded twice.
“I don’t think either goal was her fault she actually made a couple really good saves on the scramble on the second goal,” Santoro said. “So I thought she stepped in and did everything we asked her to do. I was pleased with her.”
Another play that got an unlikely amount of minutes (43) in the Syracuse game was sophomore defender Kursten von Klahr who came on in the first half for the injured sophomore defender Jenna Butler. Von Klahr had previously gotten significant minutes (88) in the draw at Duke, replacing an injured Guttenberger, but apart from that, von Klahe had not played over 31 minutes in a match this season.
“Kursten was steady,” Santoro said. “She just had to go back there, be good with the ball. Her passing out of the back was what we thought would be good and it was. She was solid. I thought our bench was really good tonight, they added a lot to the game, both Eden who started and the ones that came off the bench during the game gave us a big lift.”
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Sunday as it hosts the Fighting Irish at 1 p.m. in the team’s senior day and penultimate match of the season.
