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September 12,2024
Raleigh, NC– On Thursday night the Tribe of William and Mary (5-3, 0-0) made the trip south to Raleigh to take on NC State (2-4-1, 0-0) in a hotly contested and physical match on the pitch at Dail Soccer Field. The Tribe entered the match winners of 4 of their last 5 matches. William and Mary came in outshooting their opponents 111-52 in their 7 matches. 54 of those shots were on goal and they allowed their opponents just 23 on goal.
The Wolfpack entered play winners of 2 of their last 3 as well and were playing much better soccer after a sluggish start to the season. Both teams were looking to continue their momentum with a win before the weekend. Both teams would engage in a very physical match that was rampant with great defense and goaltending from both sides. The match would ultimately come down to a pivotal goal from the Tribe in the 56th minute by forward Leah Iglesias assisted by defender Molly Widderich.
The first half set the tone for the rest of the match as both teams came out aggressive and physical on both sides of the ball. Each team found it difficult to break through the opponent’s backline. Both teams were able to muster a few good scoring chances but were unable to notch any goals. NC State finished the half with 6 shots total and 1 on goal. The Tribe finished with 3 shots in the first 45 minutes and ended up with just 3 total shots and 2 of them had to be saved. Goaltending was the story of the first half as Jazzy Lorenz of the Tribe and Olivia Pratapas for the Pack kept the score 0-0 at the half.
The second half began with more of the same physical play from both sides as each team tried to break the stalemate and notch the first goal of the match. The Tribe broke through in the 56th minute as Iglesias was able to strike one to the back of the net to give William and Mary the lead 1-0. Iglesias was able to find her way to the middle of the box and get one past Pratapas. The goal would be all the Tribe needed to secure the victory.
After the game, NC State head coach Tim Santoro expressed his frustration but also his confidence in his defense:
“Well tonight we turned over a lot of balls the first half and we gave them some opportunities and that gave them some confidence in the second half. We have too many players that are talented that weren’t good tonight. We just need players to be at their best. Defending has been solid. We’re just not creating enough.”
As the Wolfpack look ahead, they will need to regroup and refocus for their next match with George Washington on Sunday. NC State will need to create more scoring chances and turn their chances into goals. This will be crucial as they enter ACC play. There are still a lot of games left in the season for the Wolfpack to improve. The Pack will be back home for 3 more games and will look to get back to their winning ways.
Next up for the Pack is Sunday showdown with George Washington at noon. This is the makeup for the rainout with Colorado.
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