The NC State women’s soccer team fell 1-0 to the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils on Friday, April 2 at Dail Soccer Field. 

The Wolfpack (4-2-1) had its chances in the first half but ultimately succumbed to the Blue Devils’ (10-5-2) relentless pressing in the 61st minute after an end-to-end first half. 

“This spring, Duke is the better team,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “We knew coming into this, we had light numbers and it was going to be tough for us. Our kids, they work and commit themselves everyday in training, every game we play. We have two losses and they are both 1-0 to ACC teams. I am so proud of my group. Tonight, and I’m only going to say tonight, Duke was better.” 

Duke started the first half looking likely to run NC State into the ground with relentless pressing, but as the first half progressed, the Wolfpack got more into the game and the two sides traded counter attacking opportunities. Despite the end-to-end action, the teams only combined for one shot on target in the first half, and the Blue Devils narrowly controlled more of the ball with 53% possession.

The best chance for each team in the first half came in a five-minute span between the 16th and 21st minutes. The Blue Devils put it in the back of the net in the 16th minute before the goal was disallowed due to a collision with freshman Wolfpack keeper Maria Echezarreta. Just minutes later, the Pack had a free kick opportunity of its own, but junior defender Jenna Butler wasn’t able to get a touch on the ball to redirect it goalward. 

The Blue Devils resumed their pressing zeal to start the second half, and the effort came good in the 61st minute when Mia Gyau blocked a clearance from Echezarreta and rolled the ball into an open goal.

The main midfield battle between NC State sophomore midfielder Jaiden Thomas and Duke’s Sophie Jones did not disappoint and looked likely to decide the match from the opening kick with the pair of sophomores constantly at odds. Jones’ forward runs from the left side of Duke’s midfield trio caused problems for the Wolfpack early and often, but Thomas, and Pack senior right back Mackenzie Crittenberger, were able to mitigate most of the danger. 

“Sophie was kind of playing in between some spaces which took us a little bit to adjust,” Santoro said. “She is a good player and good players are going to get on the ball and do good things. We contained it for the most part. It was unfortunate that the goal we gave up was the one that won the game. I thought we did a good job dealing with her.”

For Thomas, playing someone like Jones is an exciting opportunity, because she is someone who will challenge you as a player.

“Sophie is a great player,” Thomas said. “She is difficult to defend, but it is fun playing against her, because she is somebody that challenges you. Every single game should be fun, it should be challenging. She is definitely a player that did that for us.” 

Thomas has become one of the Wolfpack’s key midfielders in her first two seasons, and while she was very effective at screening the back four her freshman year, she has improved as a passer this spring.

“It has definitely gotten a lot better because of the experience that I have gotten on the field,” Thomas said. “Every game I go in and I try to just keep the ball for our team, try to make the best passes that I can, be a little bit riskier, try to really challenge myself. My freshman year I was alright, but I definitely think I have improved a lot.”

The Blue Devils were the Wolfpack’s toughest test of this spring and a 1-0 loss to one of the best teams in the country is not a bad result, but NC State will need to win its remaining games against Georgia (3-7-3) and Boston College (3-9) to improve its resume.

The Wolfpack does rank 20th for RPI this year but winning out will be crucial to make the field of 48 in this year’s NCAA Tournament and continuing its streak of tournament appearances. 

“We go game by game,” Santoro said. “That is something we don’t control. It is a subjective decision of some people that don’t know if they will be able to determine who really is the best team. So you can’t worry about the decisions that they might make or not make. We are just going to go into these last two games and see if we can get results. Then we wait and see the decisions they make. We don’t control that.”

The Wolfpack will be back in action on Sunday, April 11, when it takes on Georgia in Pineville, North Carolina. The showdown with the Bulldogs is set to start at 2 p.m.