The NC State men’s soccer team beat Syracuse 2-1 in overtime at WRAL Soccer Park on Friday, March 26.
The Wolfpack (3-8-2, 1-7-2 ACC) entered the game on the back of some good performances, drawing Wake and nearly drawing Clemson, two of the ACC’s top programs. And against the Orange (1-7-4, 0-6-3 ACC), who was also in search of their first ACC win of the year, the Pack was able to turn its good performances into a win.
“We’ve just been on the road at Clemson, at Wake Forest,” said head coach George Kiefer. “At Wake we get a point, at Clemson it’s a very difficult call with three minutes left, so you’re really starting to see a lot of progress. I’m pleased with the guys, I’m very happy that they got a win.”
In the 94th minute, junior midfielder Aidan Foster received a cross from junior defender Pepe Garcia, and the veteran midfielder took his time, collecting the ball and bringing it onto his strong foot before slotting home the winner.
“It was really good running by Pepe to get beyond [freshman forward Pau Palacin], good combination,” Foster said. “As I saw the ball come across the goal I could’ve hit it with my right which is my weaker foot, but had a bit of composure which is what our coaches talk about a lot in the final third. I brought it onto my stronger right foot and had the composure to put it away.”
With his goal earning his team its first ACC win of the season, Foster took off running and ripped his jersey off while his teammates chased him back toward the team’s bench so the team could celebrate as a whole.
While the goal was not only special for Foster because of what it meant to his team, the goal meant a little bit more to the former NCFC Academy player as he spent a lot of his youth career on the fields at WRAL Soccer Park.
“It meant a lot since I’ve played here for about 13 years, it felt good to be back here,” Foster said. “To score a goal on this field means a lot, and it means a lot to the team because I feel like we deserve that one.”
The Orange opened the scoring early, putting one by redshirt junior goalkeeper Leon Krapf in the second minute. Syracuse nearly added a second goal barely 10 minutes later, but the Pack took advantage of the Orange miss, going down to the other end and equalizing in the 15th minute.
Junior forward Kuda Muskwe was able to draw a foul deep in the opponent’s third during the counter attack. Freshman midfielder Tal Segev stepped up to the ball and delivered a cross into senior midfielder George Asomani, whose header was deflected away by the Syracuse keeper. That deflection fell right at the feet of sophomore defender Pablo Pedregosa, who netted the Pack’s first goal of the game.
Despite a flurry of offense from Syracuse right before the 45th minute, the first half was characterized by frequent changes in possession after the action-filled first 15 minutes. Dead even 50-50 possession split at the conclusion of the first half solidified the narrative of an air-tight matchup.
Syracuse was able to do more on offense with its 50% share of first half possession, posting seven shots to the Pack’s four. The Orange also found themselves as the more aggressive team on defense in the period, committing seven fouls to NC State’s three. Despite the differences in certain stats across the board, the 1-1 score line at the end of the first half was very representative of the soccer played by both teams.
After the Wolfpack’ first half set-piece goal, dead ball opportunities continued to provide the Pack with dangerous chances around the Syracuse box. Segev continued to be the Wolfpack’s go-to man, with the freshman putting the ball in good positions for his teammates to try and get a head to.
“When you look at Tal, his technique is by far the best in the group,” Kiefer said “He’s really clean and can serve good balls in. He’s super clean, very technical and he’s only a freshman so it’ll just keep getting better.”
The Orange nearly took the lead in the 86th off a corner kick. The ball fell to the far post and Syracuse’s Camden Holbrook got his head to it, but Krapf was able to make a big save, tipping the ball into the air. After another Syracuse player attempted to cross the ball back in, Krapf rose above the sea of players and snagged the ball to preserve the 1-1 score line.
Failure to capitalize on what was Syracuse’s best opportunity of the period would result in the second half concluding at 1-1.
The Wolfpack will be back in action on Saturday, April 3 as it takes on Duke in Raleigh.
