North Carolina State University Athletics
A Look Back At the 2009 Soccer Season
11/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. - The 2009 NC State women's soccer season has come to a close under the direction of new head coach Steve Springthorpe. The club's 8-9-2 overall record marked the fewest losses for the Wolfpack in three years, while the 2-7-1 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference is a promising start to what Springthorpe is building here in Raleigh. Consider that the prior two seasons the Pack went winless in conference play.
And when you dig deeper than just wins and losses, this years club scored more goals and gave up an incredible 13 less goals than in the 2008 campaign. After allowing 2.00 goals per game in '08, this years defense trimmed that number to just 1.42 goals allowed per game.
Non-conference season
The Wolfpack finished with a 6-2-1 record in its non-conference portion of the schedule and that doesn't even count the 7-0 victory over VMI in an exhibition match that kicked off the season in mid-August.
The club got off to a tremendous start to the season by winning its first three games. Beginning with back-to-back shutout victories over Old Dominion (3-0) and Campbell (2-0), the Pack received a three-goal performance by sophomore Tanya Cain in a 4-1 victory over Davidson at the end of the opening month of the season. Cain also scored the game winner against Campbell that week and was named the ACC Player of the Week with her four goals in two games.
NC State also garnered shutout victories over Stony Brook and Elon in non-league play and had a 2-2 draw against in-state rival East Carolina.
ACC season
NC State made an immediate statement to the rest of its ACC opponents in the league opener when the club took home a 2-1 victory over 14th-ranked Virginia. Sophomore Paige Dugal scored both goals for the Wolfpack that evening, including a dramatic game winning header with just over two minutes left in regulation.
A week later NC State improved to 2-1 in the league with a 2-1 victory over Clemson. This time it was freshman Kara Blosser who scored both goals in the victory.
After the win over the Tigers senior defender Gia Cipollini spoke about how getting two wins in the ACC was great, but understood there we're a lot of great teams ahead.
And that was probably an understatement because the next four opponents were all ranked in the top-10 nationally. Sixth-ranked Boston College slipped by with a 2-1 victory, while No. 10 Maryland had to go into overtime to beat the Wolfpack.
After the tough loss at Maryland, the Pack took its trip to the state of Florida and wound up with a 1-1 tie with Miami and a 2-0 setback at No. 7 FSU.
The Wolfpack then came home for its final two games of the regular season, and that represented the last contests for the five seniors on the team. And fittingly seniors Kendall Irby and Chantalle Dugas scored in a 2-0 shutout of Francis Marion.
The season finale brought local-rival Duke to Dail Soccer Field and before the match got underway the program honored its five seniors - Cipollini, Dugas, Irby, Meredith Parrilla and Katie Ruiz. The five combined to play 344 games at NC State in their four-year careers with all playing in at least 64 career games.
ACC Rankings
Blosser made an immediate impact this season for Springthorpe and she wound up ranked in the top-10 in a handful of categories. The Spotsylvania, Va., native tied for eighth with nine goals scored and tied for ninth in total points with 20. Those credentials helped her selection to the ACC All-Freshman team.
Dugal came up big in the biggest spots this season with three game-winning goals. That number tied for the fifth most in the conference. She also teamed up with Blosser to account for the third-highest scoring duo in the ACC. Dugal finished second on the NC State team with 19 points with eight markers and three assists.
Cain was third with four goals and three assists for 11 points.
Keeper Kim Kern started all 19 matches in net and recorded a 1.44 goals-against-average and recorded three clean sheets and came up with 77 saves. Her .740 save percentage was ninth in the ACC.
A look to the future
NC State is expected to return its top-three scorers and six of the top-10 from this past season. Blosser, Dugal and Cain combined for 50 of the team's 85 total points scored. Alyson Santilli, who tied for the team lead with five assists, will also be back for her final year in 2010.
Kern has two years under her belt in goal and had a good sophomore campaign to build off of, while first-year net minder Abbie Swank got into four games this year and will provide depth to the position.
Springthorpe and his staff have hit the recruiting trail aggressively this year and is expected to bring in more exciting and talented players that will be counted upon to make an immediate impact next fall.
And when you dig deeper than just wins and losses, this years club scored more goals and gave up an incredible 13 less goals than in the 2008 campaign. After allowing 2.00 goals per game in '08, this years defense trimmed that number to just 1.42 goals allowed per game.
Non-conference season
The Wolfpack finished with a 6-2-1 record in its non-conference portion of the schedule and that doesn't even count the 7-0 victory over VMI in an exhibition match that kicked off the season in mid-August.
The club got off to a tremendous start to the season by winning its first three games. Beginning with back-to-back shutout victories over Old Dominion (3-0) and Campbell (2-0), the Pack received a three-goal performance by sophomore Tanya Cain in a 4-1 victory over Davidson at the end of the opening month of the season. Cain also scored the game winner against Campbell that week and was named the ACC Player of the Week with her four goals in two games.
NC State also garnered shutout victories over Stony Brook and Elon in non-league play and had a 2-2 draw against in-state rival East Carolina.
ACC season
NC State made an immediate statement to the rest of its ACC opponents in the league opener when the club took home a 2-1 victory over 14th-ranked Virginia. Sophomore Paige Dugal scored both goals for the Wolfpack that evening, including a dramatic game winning header with just over two minutes left in regulation.
A week later NC State improved to 2-1 in the league with a 2-1 victory over Clemson. This time it was freshman Kara Blosser who scored both goals in the victory.
After the win over the Tigers senior defender Gia Cipollini spoke about how getting two wins in the ACC was great, but understood there we're a lot of great teams ahead.
And that was probably an understatement because the next four opponents were all ranked in the top-10 nationally. Sixth-ranked Boston College slipped by with a 2-1 victory, while No. 10 Maryland had to go into overtime to beat the Wolfpack.
After the tough loss at Maryland, the Pack took its trip to the state of Florida and wound up with a 1-1 tie with Miami and a 2-0 setback at No. 7 FSU.
The Wolfpack then came home for its final two games of the regular season, and that represented the last contests for the five seniors on the team. And fittingly seniors Kendall Irby and Chantalle Dugas scored in a 2-0 shutout of Francis Marion.
The season finale brought local-rival Duke to Dail Soccer Field and before the match got underway the program honored its five seniors - Cipollini, Dugas, Irby, Meredith Parrilla and Katie Ruiz. The five combined to play 344 games at NC State in their four-year careers with all playing in at least 64 career games.
ACC Rankings
Blosser made an immediate impact this season for Springthorpe and she wound up ranked in the top-10 in a handful of categories. The Spotsylvania, Va., native tied for eighth with nine goals scored and tied for ninth in total points with 20. Those credentials helped her selection to the ACC All-Freshman team.
Dugal came up big in the biggest spots this season with three game-winning goals. That number tied for the fifth most in the conference. She also teamed up with Blosser to account for the third-highest scoring duo in the ACC. Dugal finished second on the NC State team with 19 points with eight markers and three assists.
Cain was third with four goals and three assists for 11 points.
Keeper Kim Kern started all 19 matches in net and recorded a 1.44 goals-against-average and recorded three clean sheets and came up with 77 saves. Her .740 save percentage was ninth in the ACC.
A look to the future
NC State is expected to return its top-three scorers and six of the top-10 from this past season. Blosser, Dugal and Cain combined for 50 of the team's 85 total points scored. Alyson Santilli, who tied for the team lead with five assists, will also be back for her final year in 2010.
Kern has two years under her belt in goal and had a good sophomore campaign to build off of, while first-year net minder Abbie Swank got into four games this year and will provide depth to the position.
Springthorpe and his staff have hit the recruiting trail aggressively this year and is expected to bring in more exciting and talented players that will be counted upon to make an immediate impact next fall.
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