North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Soccer Takes on UNC Today at ACC Tournament
11/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 10, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. -
ACC Championship Central | GameTracker | Live Video | Game Notes
NC State Faces North Carolina at ACC Tournament: After an offensive explosion in its 6-3 win over Virginia Tech on Tuesday, the eighth-seeded NC State men's soccer team will face top-seeded North Carolina in the quaterfinals of the ACC Tournament Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. This year's tournament will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
The Wolfpack (10-7-2, 1-5-2 ACC) enter the quarterfinals contest haveing won three straight games, and has now posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time since 1991 and 1992. The Tar Heels (14-2-1, 7-0-1ACC) are currently ranked No. 3 on CollegeSoccerNews.com and No. 4 in the NSCAA poll. UNC has won five straight, and nine of their last 10 games.
The winner of the game will face either Duke or Boston College on Friday at 8:00 p.m.
NC State in the ACC Tournament: Since the ACC Tournament started in 1987, NC State holds an all-time record of 11-19-6 in the event. NC State was the runner-up in the inaugural tournament in 1987, losing to North Carolina in the finals, 4-3.
NC State won the 1990 ACC Tournament, the same year the Wolfpack advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. That season, NC State entered the tournament with a 3-3 mark in ACC regular season play, but downed Maryland (3-1), Clemson (3-1), and Virginia (2-1) to win the title.
During the first six years of the ACC Tournament (1987-92), NC State held a record of 7-2-4. The Wolfpack's only lost once in the first round (2-1 to Duke in 1989), and was eliminated three times on penalty kicks (those games are recorded as a tie).
The Pack's success has changed since then, as NC State is 4-17-2 dating back to the 1993 tournament. Before beating Boston College in the semifinals last season, the Pack's other wins in that span were both in the first round, defeating Virginia Tech in 2006 and 2008. The Pack also defeated the Hokies in the first round this year, 6-3.
Last season, NC State advanced to the championship game, advancing past North Carolina on penalty kicks and then defeating Boston College. The Pack also advanced into the semifinals in 2003, knocking off No. 8 North Carolina on penalty kicks, then falling to No. 2 Maryland 2-1.
NC State Knocks Out Virginia Tech in Offensive Explosion: NC State advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3 defeat of Virginia Tech on Tuesday. NC State had six different goal scorers, and the game was the highest scoring game in ACC Tournament history.
The six goals scored were also an all-time high for the Pack in an ACC Tournament game. In fact, the six goals matched NC State's output from the previous six ACC Tournament games combined.
NC State had not scored six goals in a single game since midway through the 2000 season, a span of 201 games.
Pack Makes Run at 2009 ACC Tournament: NC State made a memorable run to the 2009 ACC championship game. In quarterfinal action last season, the Pack and No. 2 North Carolina played 110 minutes of scoreless action and went to penalty kicks. NC State keeper Christopher Widman came up with two saves, and converted a kick himself, and NC State advanced 4-1 on PKs.
In the semifinals, Ronnie Bouemboue's goal in the seventh minute was the game's only score, as NC State advanced past Boston College, 1-0. But the Pack could not pull off the final win needed for the ACC title, as No. 6 Virginia would score in the 16th minute, and held on for the win, 1-0.
Wolfpack and Tar Heels Meet Again in ACC Tournament: Wednesday's matchup between the Pack and the Tar Heels wil be the eighth time the teams have met in ACC Tournament action, and the sixth time since 2001. UNC holds an all-time record of 0-5-2 in the previous matchups.
The teams first met in the 1987 championship, with UNC winning in overtime, 4-3. The Tar Heels also won in 1993 (3-0) and in 2001 (2-0).
The Pack broke the Tar Heels' winning streak in 2003, when NC State and UNC ended regulation tied, 0-0, but the Pack advanced on PKs 4-3. North Carolina then won two straight in the ACC Tournament, in 2004 (2-0) and also in 2005 (1-0).
Last season, the matup once again went to penalty kicks. The two squads played a scoreless 110 minutes in a driving rain, then the Pack advanced to the semfinals, 4-1 on penalty kicks.
The Series Against North Carolina: North Carolina leads the all-time series with the Wolfpack 46-20-12, in a series that dates back to 1950. Since 1998, UNC holds a 13-1-4 advantage in the series, with the Pack's lone win coming at #1 UNC in 2006, 3-1.
Earlier This Season Versus North Carolina: With an overflow crowd of more than 3,000 fans on hand at Dail Soccer Field on Sept. 10, the third-ranked Tar Heels came away with a 1-0 win over NC State in the ACC opener for both squads.
North Carolina scored the lone score of the game in the 32nd minute. An Alex Dixon shot was saved by NC State keeper Will Mackvick, but the rebound was deflected to Michael Farfan at the back post. Farfan collected the loose ball, and fed Eddie Ababio in the middle of the field for the score at the 32:00 mark.
In the first half of action, the two squads combined for just nine shots, with only two on goal.
The action picked up in the second half, but neither squad would tally another score. NC State's best chances came towards the end of the game. Sophomore Michael Smith had a free kick from about 40 yards out that just went wide with 22 minutes left.
The Pack's best chance came with just 30 seconds remaining on the clock. NC State played the ball into the North Carolina penalty box and freshman Sonny Mukungu got his head on it and directly towards the net, but UNC keeper Scott Goodwin made the save in the final minute.
Lassiter, Mukungu Collect ACC Honors: A pair of NC State players earned post season honors from the ACC. Senior Tyler Lassiter was named second-team All-ACC, while freshman Sonny Mukungu was named to the all-freshmen team.
Lassiter currently leads the Pack in points (18), goals (6), and assists (6). Mukungu has started all 19 contests this season as a central defender.
High Octane Offense: NC State has used a high powered offense this season. The Pack has a 40-29 scoring edge over the opponent this season. A total of 14 different players have found the back of the net for the Pack this season, with five players recording at least four scores thus far.
In the ACC stats, the Pack ranks second in points (123), goals scored (40), and first in assists (43).
DeFreitas Named ACC Player of the Week: NC State senior forward Akil DeFreitas was named the final 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week after proving invaluable in the Wolfpack's 2-0 victory over defending national champion Virginia to close out the regular season.
DeFreitas missed the midweek game against Florida Atlantic due to an ankle injury, but returned ready to play for the Pack. The veteran from Port of Spain, Trinidad, came off the bench on NC State "Senior Night" to record one goal and one assist in a crucial 2-0 win over the 15th-ranked Cavaliers.
Four Freshmen Men's Soccer Players Ranked in Top 100 Nationally: Four freshmen from the NC State men's soccer team have been named to TopDrawerSoccer's Top 100 Freshmen list. The Pack led all ACC teams with four selections, as midfielders Christopher Figueroa and Mamadou Kansaye and defenders Gbengha Makinde and Sonny Mukungu were all named.
The Wolfpack's 15-member 2010 incoming class has recently been ranked No. 19 nationally by CollegeSoccerNews.com.
