NC State Hosts USC Upstate Tuesday Evening

October 9, 2017

Tickets | Parking Directions | Live Stats | ACC Network Extra | Match Notes

RALEIGH – A winner in its last two matches, the NC State men's soccer team (6-4-1) begins a three-match home stand Tuesday evening when USC Upstate comes to town. Kickoff between the Wolfpack and Spartans is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Dail Soccer Stadium with live video coverage provided by ACC Network Extra.

LAST MATCH
Led by two goals from senior captain Julius Duchscherer, NC State picked up an important 2-1 ACC road win at Syracuse Friday evening.

Freshman goalkeeper Leon Krapf also played a large role in the victory, stopping four Syracuse shots to earn a win that was NC State's first over Syracuse since 1991.

STRONG RECORD AT HOME
In six home matches this season, NC State is 5-1-0 and has outscored its opponents 12-6. Of the six remaining regular-season matches on the schedule, five will be played at Dail Soccer Stadium in Raleigh.

SHARE THE BALL
NC State ranks 39th nationally with 19 assists on 16 goals this season. Freshman David Loera (3), junior Simon Blotko (3), and senior Ade Taiwo (3) are currently tied for the team lead.

CLIMBING THE RPI
In the second edition of the NCAA RPI report released on Oct. 9, NC State jumped from 74 to 57 after wins over Belmont (home) and Syracuse (road). This week, NC State hosts USC Upstate (194) and Virginia (6).

TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD
NC State earned its ninth consecutive United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award, the organization announced Thursday when it released the data for the 2016-17 school year.

College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point average of 3.0 or better as a team. NC State has met these criteria for nine consecutive seasons beginning with the 2008-09 academic year.

DEPENDABLE DUVERNAY
Senior left back Caleb Duvernay is one of the four players on the team this season to have played in all 1,012 possible minutes. He is NC State's active career leader in appearances (60) and matches started (58).

STRONG DEBUT SEASON
Freshman goalkeeper Leon Krapf is in the midst of a strong debut season for the Wolfpack. The Gochsheim, Germany, native has played all 1,012 minutes this year and ranks second in the ACC and 38th nationally with four clean sheets. He has made 27 saves on the season and has posted a goals against average (GAA) of 1.24.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS (2-8-1)
-Winless in their last six matches.
-0-6-1 away from home this season.
-Have been outscored 26-10 this season.
-Outshooting opponents 133-132.
-Combined GK save percentage of 0.559 ranks 202nd in the nation.
-Rank 18th in the nation with 6.36 corner kicks earned per match.
-Fifty-eight percent of their shots have been taken in the second half.

SERIES HISTORY
-Tuesday's match will mark just the second meeting between NC State and USC Upstate. The Wolfpack earned an 8-0 win in Raleigh on Sept. 30, 1982, when USC Upstate went by the name USC-Spartanburg.

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Simon Blotko

Julius Duchscherer

Caleb Duvernay

Leon Krapf

David Loera

Ade Taiwo