No. 8 NC State men’s soccer continued their strong start to the season with a dominant performance against Florida International University, securing a 2-0 victory.
NC State (3-0) was active in the offensive zone against FIU (1-1-1), putting the ball in the net three times in the first half and dominating both sides of the ball. But all three goals were waved off, leaving the Pack with nothing to show for it.
The first two netted shots were ruled offside. The third, sophomore forward Frankie Defrancesco headed the ball over FIU junior goalkeeper Nigel Van Haveren and off the post. As the ball bounced near the goal line, Van Haveren accidentally knocked the ball into the net. However, Wolfpack redshirt junior forward Aidan Payne received a foul for impeding the opposing goalkeeper despite protests from Wolfpack players arguing that he was pushed into the goalkeeper.
The Pack controlled the first half, managing eight shots on goal, and took multiple dangerous inswinging corners from freshman leftback Riley Moloney, but entered halftime still tied 0-0.
NC State managed just two shots on goal until the 75th minute where junior forward Donavan Phillip ran on to a through ball that split the Panthers backline. As the goalkeeper came out, Phillip reached the ball first, touched it past him and was taken down in the process. It missed the net, but following an on-field review, the ref awarded the Wolfpack a penalty.
Senior midfielder Taig Healy acted like he was going to take the penalty before handing the ball to senior midfielder Drew Lovelace. Lovelace struck his shot hard and high, off the underside of the crossbar and in, breaking the deadlock.
In the 78th minute, freshman leftback Riley Moloney delivered an inswinging corner that fell to senior midfielder Justin McLean who volleyed it into the bottom right corner, giving the Pack a two-goal lead and putting the game to bed.
Moloney has been the Pack’s lone freshman starter this season. He handles corner kicks from the right-hand side, regularly delivering dangerous inswingers.
“I love taking set pieces,” said Moloney. “I’ve done them for a pretty long time. So, yeah, I love taking set pieces, as many as possible in the game, and see what we can do with it.”
The Pack had a worrying moment in the 14th minute when sixth-year forward Ibrahim Conde went down with a non-contact injury, he walked off the field under his own power a few minutes later, but did not return.
“Just a little hamstring tweak,” said head coach Marc Hubbard. “Best that he felt it right away and then kind of went down. It was smart to pull himself out, so hopefully he can recover.”
The Wolfpack closed out the match to secure their third consecutive clean-sheet win to start the season. They now turn their attention to a clash with rival No. 15 North Carolina (3-0) Friday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s a big game, but you got to take it on as any other game,” said Moloney. “But looking forward to it, hopefully it’s a good turn out, and hopefully we can put on a good show for everyone.”
The Pack will host a “Red Out” as they attempt to break the attendance record.
