No. 5 NC State men’s soccer had a dozen chances to put one in the back of the net and secure a bid to Cary, but what felt like an invisible wall at the goal line kept the net clean.
The Wolfpack (12-1-5, 4-1-3 ACC) fell short of a berth to the ACC Championship semifinals — a spot it hasn’t been since 2009. The Pack simply could not get it past Orange (9-6-3, 4-3-1 ACC) netminder Tomas Hut, who recorded nine saves, all spectacular. More than that, the Syracuse defense was a step ahead of the Pack offense, thwarting opportunities and even recording a team save. On the other side, the Syracuse offense stamped its win with a nifty pair of goals and game-ender to secure a 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals.
“It’s one of those games where Syracuse in crunch time, just defended their tails off and got a lot of numbers behind the ball, blocked a lot of shots, their goalie played unbelievable,” said head coach Marc Hubbard. “It is two fold. We didn’t do well enough, in the chances we created, especially in the first half.”
Amidst the struggles, it also seemed like nothing was going the Pack’s way. It came to a head in the 65th minute as senior goalkeeper Logan Erb loaded up and cleared the ball deep, but in the process lost his boot. It went flying into the air and landed 30 yards away, putting the keeper in a weird position. The Orange received the ball and went on the offensive, almost creating a golden scoring opportunity against a shoeless Erb.
NC State had a plethora of chances at net in both halves, but could not capitalize on any of its opportunities. Junior forward Donavan Phillip — tied for the second-most goals in NCAA — had multiple opportunities that he couldn’t get past the Syracuse netminder.
Senior midfielder Taig Healy had a golden chance of his own with 10 minutes to play: a shot that somehow found its way through a mass of bodies but was stopped as it crossed the goal line, and ruled a no-goal after review. The crowd groaned in anger, encapsulating the energy of the night.
The goal that put Syracuse out of reach with 20 minutes to play: an Olimpico corner that curved into the top right corner of the goal, off the post and in. A goal where you just have to tip your cap.
HOW ABOUT THAT!
Zambrano scored his SECOND Olimpico of the season to put ‘Cuse up 2-0 in the 69th minute!!#DareToDream pic.twitter.com/fgEamupJtc
— Syracuse Men’s Soccer (@CuseMSOC) November 10, 2025
NC State hasn’t made it to the semi-final of the ACC tournament since 2009, and this year could’ve been different, with the Pack being the No. 3 seed and No. 5 ranked team in the nation. But the ACC showed its might, and a team that gave the Wolfpack trouble in the regular season a week and a half prior came out on top.
Syracuse will face SMU in Cary for a spot in the conference championship game. For the Pack, it awaits the selection show set for Monday, Nov. 17 to find out its postseason fate. If it secures one of the top 16 seeds, it will host an NCAA tournament game. If in the top 8, it will host games through the quarterfinals.
“It sucks. You gotta watch other teams play down the road,” Hubbard said. “Each day is gonna get a little bit easier. So we got to use that as motivation to get back at it. Be who we are.”
