Thursday, September 21
Winston-Salem, N.C.
8 p.m.
NC State
at
Wake Forest
@PackWSoccer Travels to Wake Forest for ACC Road Opener
9/20/2023 11:54:00 AM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State women's soccer opens its ACC road schedule on Thursday night at Wake Forest. Thursday night's match in Winston-Salem is set for 8 p.m. at Spry Stadium.
NC State's match against the Demon Deacons will stream live on ACC Network Extra. Live stats will be available at the following link.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolfpack dropped its ACC opener 2-0 to Pitt on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Dail Soccer Stadium. The Panthers grabbed a lead in the closing seconds of the first half when Ellie Coffield finished from close range on a corner kick. Pitt then doubled its lead on a strike from outside the box from Amanda West. Pitt's Sage Stelzer denied the Pack a tying goal twice in the 51st minute, clearing the ball off the line on Taylor Chism's header and Leyah Hall-Robinson's rebound attempt following a Wolfpack corner kick. NC State goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas tied her career-high with eight saves in Sunday's setback.
SERIES HISTORY
NC State and Wake Forest will face off for the 30th time on Thursday night. A few notes tracking the Pack's ACC road opener at Wake Forest are listed below:
• In its 2022 ACC opener, NC State rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat Wake Forest 2-1 on Sept. 18, 2022, in Raleigh. The Wolfpack stormed back from its one-goal deficit in the final 15 minutes of this past season's match when Alexis Strickland (78th minute) and Jameese Joseph (84th minute) netted the tying and winning goals, respectively.
• Wake Forest leads the all-time series 19-8-2. Only two of the past 10 matchups have been decided by multiple goals.
• NC State's last road victory in Winston-Salem came on Oct. 10, 1996, when the Wolfpack logged a 2-0 shutout victory over the Demon Deacons.
• The Pack won the first meeting in the series back on Oct. 21, 1994, in dominant fashion, posting a 7-1 win at Wake Forest.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest completed nonconference play undefeated, earning six victories and one draw before dropping its ACC opener 3-1 at Notre Dame on Friday. The Demon Deacons were predicted eighth in the 2023 ACC Preseason Poll, slotting one spot behind NC State's most recent opponent (Pitt). Wake Forest's three goals allowed on Friday at Notre Dame were more than it allowed in allowed in all of nonconference play (two). After a draw against Army on Aug. 20, the Deacons reeled off four straight shutout victories. Sophomore forward Caiya Hanks leads Wake Forest with four goals and 11 points, while goalkeeper Madison Howard has sported a .722 save percentage with two shutouts and 13 saves so far this season.
STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE
NC State's sustained success has garnered national attention as the Wolfpack ranked No. 15 in SoccerWire's 2023 list of Top 50 Current NCAA Women's Soccer Programs. The rankings were based on a combination of final United Soccer Coaches Polls and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) from each season, with bonuses awarded for NCAA Tournament qualification and College Cup victories.
BACK TO PROMINENCE
Since head coach Tim Santoro has taken over the program, the Wolfpack has surged back to national prominence. Prior to the breakout 2016 season, the Pack had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1996. Since 2016, NC State has earned an at-large bid every fall season, advancing to the Sweet 16 three times. Santoro's record in his first three seasons was 13-42-2. His record since the breakout 2016 campaign is 71-52-24.
A TOUGH SLATE
NC State faces a challenging schedule this fall with eight of its opponents featured in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25. Two other opponents, Virginia Tech and Rutgers, received votes in the poll. Five of NC State's nine remaining regular season opponents are ranked inside the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches most recent poll released on Tuesday. The combined record of NC State's nine opponents so far this season is 36-15-19 (.650).
NEW RECORD AT THE DAIL
NC State women's soccer set a new attendance record on Sept. 7, welcoming 2,506 fans to Dail Soccer Stadium. The Dail, home to NC State women's and men's soccer since 2008, was packed out for Thursday's match against Michigan State on "Barbie Night", where the first 200 students received Barbie-themed T-shirts. The new record shattered the previous total (2,023 against UNC on Oct. 1, 2010) by over 450 people.
UP NEXT
NC State completes its ACC in-state road swing Sunday night at No. 16 Duke. The Wolfpack's match in Durham is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ACC Network Extra.
NC State's match against the Demon Deacons will stream live on ACC Network Extra. Live stats will be available at the following link.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolfpack dropped its ACC opener 2-0 to Pitt on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Dail Soccer Stadium. The Panthers grabbed a lead in the closing seconds of the first half when Ellie Coffield finished from close range on a corner kick. Pitt then doubled its lead on a strike from outside the box from Amanda West. Pitt's Sage Stelzer denied the Pack a tying goal twice in the 51st minute, clearing the ball off the line on Taylor Chism's header and Leyah Hall-Robinson's rebound attempt following a Wolfpack corner kick. NC State goalkeeper Olivia Pratapas tied her career-high with eight saves in Sunday's setback.
SERIES HISTORY
NC State and Wake Forest will face off for the 30th time on Thursday night. A few notes tracking the Pack's ACC road opener at Wake Forest are listed below:
• In its 2022 ACC opener, NC State rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat Wake Forest 2-1 on Sept. 18, 2022, in Raleigh. The Wolfpack stormed back from its one-goal deficit in the final 15 minutes of this past season's match when Alexis Strickland (78th minute) and Jameese Joseph (84th minute) netted the tying and winning goals, respectively.
• Wake Forest leads the all-time series 19-8-2. Only two of the past 10 matchups have been decided by multiple goals.
• NC State's last road victory in Winston-Salem came on Oct. 10, 1996, when the Wolfpack logged a 2-0 shutout victory over the Demon Deacons.
• The Pack won the first meeting in the series back on Oct. 21, 1994, in dominant fashion, posting a 7-1 win at Wake Forest.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest completed nonconference play undefeated, earning six victories and one draw before dropping its ACC opener 3-1 at Notre Dame on Friday. The Demon Deacons were predicted eighth in the 2023 ACC Preseason Poll, slotting one spot behind NC State's most recent opponent (Pitt). Wake Forest's three goals allowed on Friday at Notre Dame were more than it allowed in allowed in all of nonconference play (two). After a draw against Army on Aug. 20, the Deacons reeled off four straight shutout victories. Sophomore forward Caiya Hanks leads Wake Forest with four goals and 11 points, while goalkeeper Madison Howard has sported a .722 save percentage with two shutouts and 13 saves so far this season.
STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE
NC State's sustained success has garnered national attention as the Wolfpack ranked No. 15 in SoccerWire's 2023 list of Top 50 Current NCAA Women's Soccer Programs. The rankings were based on a combination of final United Soccer Coaches Polls and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) from each season, with bonuses awarded for NCAA Tournament qualification and College Cup victories.
BACK TO PROMINENCE
Since head coach Tim Santoro has taken over the program, the Wolfpack has surged back to national prominence. Prior to the breakout 2016 season, the Pack had not made the NCAA Tournament since 1996. Since 2016, NC State has earned an at-large bid every fall season, advancing to the Sweet 16 three times. Santoro's record in his first three seasons was 13-42-2. His record since the breakout 2016 campaign is 71-52-24.
A TOUGH SLATE
NC State faces a challenging schedule this fall with eight of its opponents featured in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25. Two other opponents, Virginia Tech and Rutgers, received votes in the poll. Five of NC State's nine remaining regular season opponents are ranked inside the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches most recent poll released on Tuesday. The combined record of NC State's nine opponents so far this season is 36-15-19 (.650).
NEW RECORD AT THE DAIL
NC State women's soccer set a new attendance record on Sept. 7, welcoming 2,506 fans to Dail Soccer Stadium. The Dail, home to NC State women's and men's soccer since 2008, was packed out for Thursday's match against Michigan State on "Barbie Night", where the first 200 students received Barbie-themed T-shirts. The new record shattered the previous total (2,023 against UNC on Oct. 1, 2010) by over 450 people.
UP NEXT
NC State completes its ACC in-state road swing Sunday night at No. 16 Duke. The Wolfpack's match in Durham is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ACC Network Extra.
Players Mentioned
Defender
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Forward
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Goalkeeper
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