DURHAM, N.C. — The NC State women’s soccer team drew the Duke Blue Devils by a score of 1-1 after 110 minutes of play. The Wolfpack did enough, especially in the second half and overtime, to earn all three points but they could not find the winning goal.
“Any time you can get a point in the ACC you are happy about it,” said senior forward Tziarra King. “Obviously you’re still kinda upset because that could have been three points right there and you want the three points ultimately because its gonna help you in the long run.”
The Blue Devils (5-1-2, 0-0-1 ACC) were the clear aggressors in the first half, outshooting the Pack (5-3-1, 0-0-1 ACC) 11-2, but the Pack’s defense held strong and was able to keep the clean sheet going into halftime. After the break, however, the Pack grabbed the Devils by their horns.
“I can’t really repeat that, what I said to them,” NC State head coach Tim Santoro said. “Let’s just say it was very motivational. They needed to fix a couple things and it was nothing we didn’t know. It was stuff we talked about. Maybe it’s just because it was the first half of the first ACC game and we weren’t ready for the intensity.”
Outshooting the Blue Devils 13-3 across the second half and overtime, the Pack was the better of the two sides and had a number of great scoring chances to put the game to bed in the second half.
The Wolfpack’s goal came in the 63rd minute on a penalty kick by King. The penalty was given for a foul on freshman forward Jameese Joseph, who brilliantly cut the ball back on a defender before being fouled.
King entered Sunday’s game on a great run of form with five goals and three assists across the Pack’s last two games. The run of form comes at the perfect time as the game against Duke was the first of a three-game road trip that kicks off ACC play for the Pack.
“It feels good to be getting into the swing right as ACC starts up, but more importantly, I’m just glad the team is putting together our finished product,” King said. “There is still obviously more work to be done but more importantly, I’m happy with how our team is fighting.”
The Blue Devils’ equalizer came with just over two minutes left in the game as Ella Stevens’ chip found its way over junior goalkeeper Jessica Berlin and off the post to tie the game up at 1-1.
Berlin had been excellent on the day as her first-half performance, along with the rest of the defense, was the reason the Pack was in a position to take the lead when it did. The heroic blocks by the Pack defenders, and the saves by Berlin, were the only reason the Pack was able to make it into the half tied at 0-0.
While the game was on the road, the Wolfpack would have felt a sense of familiarity coming from the stands as a large contingent of the Red Terrors made its way to Durham to cheer on the Pack.
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Thursday as it travels to Chapel Hill to face the arch-rival Tar Heels. That game is set to kick off at 7 p.m.
