North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Soccer Faces Virginia Tech Tuesday at ACC Tournament
11/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 8, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. -
ACC Championship Central | GameTracker | NC State Game Notes
NC State Faces Virginia Tech at ACC Tournament: The eighth-seeded NC State men's soccer team will face ninth-seeded Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. This year’s tournament will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
Admission on Tuesday is free with a canned food donation. It will benefit The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a partner agency of the United Way of Greater Triangle.
The Wolfpack (9-7-2, 1-5-2 ACC) enter the ACC Tournament having posted back-to-back shutouts to end the regular season, including a win over No. 12 Virginia this past weekend. In seven of the last eight games, NC State has given a goal or less.
The winner of the game will face top-seed North Carolina on Wed. at 5:30 p.m.
NC State in the ACC Tournament: Since the ACC Tournament started in 1987, NC State holds an all-time record of 10-19-6 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 3-17-2 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 both 2006 and 2008.
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.
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 Hokies Meet Again in ACC Tournament: Tuesday's matchup between the Pack and the Hokies will be the third time the teams have met in ACC Tournament action. NC State holds an all-time record of 2-0 in the previous matchups.
Both previous match-ups were in the first round, as the Pack won 4-3 in 2006 and 3-1 in Cary in 2008.
The Series Against Virginia Tech: NC State leads the all-time series against Virginia Tech 10-5-1. The Pack has also won the two previous matchups played at a neutral site, as NC State has defeated the Hokies in the ACC Tournament in 2006 and 2008.
Earlier This Season Versus Virginia Tech: The NC State men's soccer team fell to visiting Virginia Tech, 2-1, Sept. 25 at the Dail Soccer Field. The Wolfpack jumped on the scoreboard first in the 33rd minute, but the Hokies scored in the 35th and again in the 63rd minute for their only conference win of the season.
Each team found the back of the net in the first half.
NC State opened up the scoring in the 33rd minute. After a Virginia Tech foul at midfield, senior Tyler Lassiter took the free kick, and it slipped through the hands of Hokies keeper Kyle Renfro on the fly, and rolled into the back of the net at the 32:17 mark.
Virginia Tech evened things up just over two minutes later in the 35th minute. After a NC State foul was called in its own penalty box, Clarke Bently would convert the penalty kick at the 34:37 mark.
The Hokies scored the eventual game winner in the 63rd minute. Beto Velazquez played a ball outside to Greg Cochrane, and Cocrhane's shot found the back of the net from 20 yards out at the 62:50 mark.
NC State had numerous chances to even the score in the final minutes, including a shot by Lassiter that was cleared just off the goal line by a Virginia Tech defender with 11 minutes left, but the Pack could never find an equalizer.
NC State held a decisive 17-4 advantage in shots, but only five of those were on net.
High Octane Offense: NC State has used a high powered offense this season. The Pack has a 34-26 scoring edge over the opponent this season. A total of 12 different players have found the back of the net for the Pack this season, with four players recording at least four scores thus far.
In the ACC stats, the Pack ranks second in points (103) and assists (35), and rank third in goals scored (34).
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.
