North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
Pittsburgh
Women's Soccer to Welcome Pitt for Pink Game
10/7/2026 12:23:00 PM | Women's Soccer
A Win Would ...
• Mark Gary Higgins' 15th victory as head coach at NC State.
• Be the 417th win in program history.
• Be Higgins' 125th win in his coaching career.
• Mark the program's 7th all-time win over Pitt.
• Mark NC State's 10th win of the season.
• Be the Pack's third ACC win of the season.
• Give the Pack its most wins in a season since 2019.
Last Time Out
NC State fell to No. 4 Wake Forest, 3-1, on the road Sunday evening at Spry Stadium, with Antonella Mazziotto providing the Wolfpack's lone goal of the night.
The Demon Deacons opened the scoring in the 17th minute on a goal by Allie Flanagan. The goal was the only scoring of the first half, sending the Pack into halftime facing a 1-0 deficit. NC State came out attacking in the second half, with Mazziotto equalizing in the 47th minute. The play started with a shot by Erica Roberts that deflected off Mana Nakata before Mazziotto finished the play to find the back of the net. Both Roberts and Nakata recorded assists on the score. Wake Forest regained the lead in the 72nd minute when Sierra Sythe converted a penalty kick, and Lola Ressler added an insurance goal four minutes later to put the Demon Deacons ahead, 3-1.
Despite the loss, the Wolfpack outshot the Demon Deacons 7-5 in the second half and held a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks on the night.
Series History
Thursday will mark the 12th all-time meeting between NC State and Pitt, with the Wolfpack holding a 6-5-0 advantage in the series. The teams last met a season ago in Pittsburgh, when the Wolfpack earned a 1-0 win over the Panthers for its first road win over Pitt since 2017. Mana Nakata scored the lone goal in the victory.
The Pack enters Thursday's match looking for its first pair of back-to-back wins over Pitt since 2017 and 2018.
Scouting the Panthers
Pitt enters Thursday's match at 6-5-2 on the season and is looking for its first ACC win of the season in Raleigh. In conference play, the Panthers have dropped one-goal decisions to Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Miami, while also earning a scoreless draw against then-No. 4 Duke. Adi Bianchin leads the Panthers with five goals, while goalkeeper Elli Johnson has recorded 30 saves and a 1.10 goals-against average.
Head coach Ben Waldrum is in his second season at the helm of the Panthers after taking over ahead of the 2025 season. Waldrum led Pitt to six wins in his first season and has already matched that total in his second campaign.
For the latest on NC State women's soccer, follow @PackWSoccer on social media.
