Wolfpack Plays Final Exhibition Saturday at #24 UConn

August 18, 2017

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RALEIGH – The NC State men's soccer team concludes the exhibition portion of its 2017 season on Saturday evening when it plays at No. 24 UConn. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Joseph J. Morrone Stadium.

FIRST EXHIBITION RECAP
The Wolfpack opened exhibition play in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 fans at Dail Soccer Stadium on August 13, drawing visiting Appalachian State 0-0. NC State controlled the majority of the possession for a large share of the match and outshot the Mountaineers 8-4. Three of the Wolfpack's shots were on target, while none of Appalachian State's tested NC State's goalkeepers. Six Wolfpack players recorded at least one shot during the course of the match.

Both teams used the exhibition as an opportunity to experiment with multiple different players, as NC State played 18 different student-athletes and Appalachian State used 24.

A FAMILIAR FOE
From 1997-2002, NC State head coach George Kiefer was an assistant coach under current UConn coach Ray Reid. During his time with the Huskies, the team qualified for four NCAA Tournaments, two College Cups, and won the 2000 national championship.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
-UConn enters the 2017 season ranked No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
-The Huskies return 12 letterwinners from a team which went 11-7-1 in 2016.
-UConn was selected to finish first in the American Conference this season.

.@cjay_sparks speaks briefly about the team's Saturday exhibition at No. 24 UConn. #GoPack ???? pic.twitter.com/r8hx3enbtw
— NCSU Men's Soccer (@PackMensSoccer) August 17, 2017

WELCOME TO THE PACK
In addition to a new coaching staff, NC State welcomes 11 newcomers to its roster for the 2017 season. This group of signees was ranked No. 9 nationally by TopDrawerSoccer.

Goalkeepers: Vincent Durand, Leon Krapf
Defenders: Mac Gourlay, David Norris, Christoph Schneuwly
Midfielders: Jose Morales Jr., Anthony Ruggiero, Brad Sweeney
Forwards: David Loera, Manny Perez, Willy Ramirez

READY FOR A CHALLENGE
The United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) released the first top-25 poll of the 2017 season on August 3. NC State's schedule this season features matches against No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 4 UNC-CH, No. 5 Clemson, No. 8 Syracuse, No. 9 Louisville, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 13 Virginia, and No. 24 UConn.

NC State will host 11 regular-season matches at home this season, the most since the team hosted 12 during the 2014 season.

STEPHEN ELIAS WINS GOLD WITH TEAM USA
Returning player Stephen Elias had a very productive summer, winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel. Elias accumulated three goals and three assists throughout the competition as his team won five matches and lost just one.

THE RETURNERS
Even factoring in the addition of a large freshman class joining the Pack for the 2017 season, NC State returns 80 percent of its goals, 80 percent of its assists, and 73 percent of its shots from a year ago.

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer

Wolfpack Plays Final Exhibition Saturday at #24 UConn

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Players Mentioned

Vincent Durand

Stephen Elias

Mac Gourlay

Leon Krapf

David Loera

Jose Morales Jr.

David Norris

Manny Perez

Willy Ramirez

Anthony Ruggiero

Christoph Schneuwly

Brad Sweeney

Wolfpack Plays Final Exhibition Saturday at #24 UConn

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Vincent Durand

Stephen Elias

Mac Gourlay

Leon Krapf

David Loera

Jose Morales Jr.

David Norris

Manny Perez

Willy Ramirez

Anthony Ruggiero

Christoph Schneuwly

Brad Sweeney

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