NC State fell to the mat after conceding a 70th-minute goal to No. 20 Louisville, and could not get back up, letting in two more to shut the door.

The result marked the Pack’s first loss since Sept. 11.

“Louisville was a better team tonight from start to finish,” said head coach Gary Higgins. “They created more quality chances than us, they controlled possession and the territory of the game. For the most part, they thoroughly deserved the victory. … I thought we would have been able to compete with them, but they looked hungrier and had more desire.”

The Wolfpack (5-7-4, 4-2-2 ACC) tentatively held fifth place in the conference coming into the matchup, on pace to qualify for the ACC Women’s Soccer Championship, into which just six teams get a bid. But with No. 20 Louisville (12-3-2, 5-2-2 ACC), No. 11 Florida State, No. 21 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke looming just behind, the Pack needed to stay red hot to keep its tournament hopes alive.

The Wolfpack amassed its fair share of chances, but ultimately spent too much time in its own end, and the Cardinals made the Pack pay. Midway through the second half, after a Louisville corner trickled 20 meters in front of the Wolfpack goal, Louisville midfielder AG Gibson lofted it into the top left corner over the outstretched hand of senior goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas to take the lead.

After conceding the goal, still with 20 minutes to go, the Pack could hold on to a little hope. But that was squashed in the 84th minute when Louisville midfielder Betsy Huckaby lobbed a shot from well outside of the box over the head of Pratapas into the back of the net, closing the window.

Laying it on thick, Louisville scored for the third time in 15 minutes on a free kick just outside the box, rubbing salt into the wound with five minutes to go.

With the loss, the Pack falls to ninth in the ACC standings, though it is tied with three other schools at 14 points. In order to qualify for the tournament, the Pack will need positive results in its final two matches and at least a win over No. 7 Duke on Sunday.

“We pay attention [to the standings] — and we still are because we’ve got a chance — but this makes it a little bit more difficult with this loss,” Higgins said. “Obviously, Louisville goes ahead of us. But we’ll keep fighting to the end.”

NC State manufactured a few good chances — most notably a shot off the crossbar, taken by sophomore midfielder Mana Nakata. But in the end, the Pack spent too much time on its back foot.

The Pack started the year 0-5-1, and looked to be dead in the water. The fact that the squad is even competing for a bid into the tiny six-team conference tournament — in the most competitive conference in women’s soccer — is a testament to the Pack’s resilience.

“We’re really proud of the girls for where they’ve got us to at this point,” Higgins said. “We’ll keep on going and never give up and see where we end up.”

Still in the race, the Pack hosts No. 7 Duke on Sunday, Oct. 26, badly needing a win to stay afloat. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.