North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Soccer Faces Tough Weekend at Duke/adidas Classic
9/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 8, 2005
Raleigh, N.C. - The NC State men's soccer team will return to action this weekend, as the Pack travels to Durham, N.C., to compete in the Duke/adidas Classic being held at Duke's Koskinen Stadium. NC State will battle seventh-ranked St. John's on Friday at 5:00 p.m., then face College of Charleston on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
Senior Aaron King is once again leading the Wolfpack offense, scoring a goal in each of the first three games of the season. King currently ranks second in the ACC with his three goals and six points. Freshman Ronnie Bouemboue had a productive day last time out for the Pack, as he started in the midfield against Mercer. Bouemboue scored the first two goals of the game, then added an assist later in the second half.
NC State has split time with its keepers this year, as both senior goalies Jorge Gonzalez and Aaron Sanders have seen action. Gonzalez started the games at No. 22 Old Dominion and versus Fairfield, but Sanders started and played all 90 minutes in the win over Mercer.
The Pack will face tough competition this weekend at Duke. St. John's is currently ranked No. 7 in the coaches' NSCAA Poll and No. 10 in Soccer America's Poll. Last weekend the Red Storm won the Rutgers Tournament with a 3-0 win over Holy Cross and also tied San Diego State 0-0. Jason Landers recorded both shutouts in goal, and St. John's had three different players score against Holy Cross.
College of Charleston comes into the weekend with a 2-1 record. The Cougars downed Western Michigan 5-1, and fell to Vanderbilt 1-0 last weekend. Tuesday night, College of Charleston picked up a big non-conference road win at South Carolina 1-0. Jeremy Gold netted the lone goal in the 36th minute, and Hunter Gilstrap made three saves for the shutout victory.
After the two games this weekend at the Duke/adidas Classic, NC State will start ACC conference play. Up first for the Pack will be a game against rival North Carolina, Wednesday, September 14, at SAS Soccer Park. The game is set for 7:00 p.m.
