North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Aiyegbusi Adds Speed to Men's Soccer
10/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. – Korede Aiyegbusi likes to play fast.
Maybe that's because he grew up playing soccer in London, where he had to move quickly or be run over by the ale-fueled hooligans who roam the streets looking for a football game to break out.
Playing at break-neck speed is the style in England, more so than in Africa, where Aiyegbusi's parents are originally from. He's never played any way other than fast and faster.
Aiyegbusi's NC State career is even fast, since he is squeezing it into two years after transferring in from Essex (Md.) Community College.
"K is the fastest player I have ever seen with the ball," said teammate Federico Nachmann. "He is the fastest player in the ACC. That is my personal opinion."
The senior outside defender with the shiny red shoes is a flash on the field of the Dail Soccer Stadium, where he has helped the 13th-ranked Wolfpack compile a 9-2-1 record and its highest national ranking since 2005. The Pack has won its last five games, four of them by shutout.
Veteran coach George Tarantini's squad will attempt to keep its unblemished home record intact today at 7 p.m. in a showdown with fourth-ranked Wake Forest (8-2-2), the fourth top 10 team the Pack has played this season.
Aiyegbusi is now used to playing in big games. He spent the summer playing for England's national team in the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. The team finished fourth in the 16-team competition, losing on penalty kicks to eventual gold medal winner Ukraine and losing to Japan in the bronze medal round.
"We did pretty well, but not as well as we wanted to," Aiyegbusi said. "But being able to go out and represent your country is a big thing. We were very close to winning it."
Aiyegbusi started every game, except for an exhibition contest right after he had a toenail removed, and his success on the field gave him confidence coming back to the U.S. for his final college season.
"My top focus was go to play as well as I could," he said. "I was just trying to prove myself in the playing time I got. Overall, it was a really good experience for me. I think I have had a drastic improvement since I have been back."
His play has certainly solidified the Wolfpack's defense, which leads the ACC with six shutouts.
And his leadership has been crucial on a squad that struggled in the early part of last season, but has been remarkably good ever since.
"He is not only a leader on the field but off the field," Tarantini said. "His attitude towards the team is what makes him so valuable to us. He is the total team player, always putting the good of the team before himself."
Aiyegbusi admits that he had to ease into Division I play after his All-America junior college career. Mainly, it took him a few months to get used to the fast-paced
"Mainly, I had the ability, but not the focus or attention I needed to be successful," he said. "You have to have discipline and drive, and that starts in practice and carries over to games."
But once he settled in, Aiyegbusi began to feel much more comfortable, and things started moving even faster.
And that's the way he likes it.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
