NC State
1-0-0
USC Upstate (Back to School Night)
0-1-0
#23 Wolfpack Defeats Spartans 3-1 in Season Opener
8/24/2018 9:43:00 PM | Men's Soccer
NC State never trails in comfortable victory over USC Upstate
RALEIGH – The 23rd-ranked NC State men's soccer team began its season with a victory for the second straight year on Friday evening, defeating visiting USC Upstate 3-1 at Dail Soccer Stadium.
Ivy Brisma scored his first career goal in the seventh minute to give the Wolfpack an early 1-0 advantage. Tyler Gabarra doubled the lead in the 32nd and after a USC Upstate goal early in the second half, Brad Sweeney put the match away in the 74th minute with a wicked free kick.
Postgame Notes
-NC State is 2-0-0 in season openers under head coach George Kiefer.
-The Wolfpack now leads the series with USC Upstate 2-0-1.
-Friday's match marked the first collegiate starts for Ivy Brisma and Pepe Garcia. Classmates Aidan Foster and Caleb Martinez came on as substitutes, also making their first career appearances for NC State.
-An impressive crowd of 1,938 fans attended the Wolfpack's season-opening win.
Sophomore David Loera, NC State's assists leader during the 2017 season, played a brilliant ball to Brisma as he was making a diagonal run towards goal in the seventh minute. The freshman ran onto the ball, beat a defender, and hit a shot on target. USC Upstate goalkeeper CJ Cluck made the first save, but the ball spilled right back to Brisma and he calmly tucked it home for the first goal of his career and NC State's first of the season.
👀 a look at the @iversonbrisma goal in the 7th minute that has us up 1-0.
— NC State MSOC 🐺⚽️ (@PackMensSoccer) August 24, 2018
Watch live: https://t.co/6xHy9SiXnz (#GoPack #ncsu) pic.twitter.com/65pgie9nPd
Gabarra entered the match in the 32nd minute and made a literal immediate impact, scoring just 51 seconds after taking the field for the first time of the season. The redshirt junior made a run to the far post as 2017 ACC Freshman of the Year Manny Perez was streaking up the right wing with the ball. Perez played a strong cross through the six-yard box and Gabarra slammed it home emphatically.
Now 👀 a look at the @tygabarra11 finish that doubled our lead! @mannyP113 with the assist.
— NC State MSOC 🐺⚽️ (@PackMensSoccer) August 25, 2018
Watch live: https://t.co/6xHy9SiXnz (#GoPack #ncsu @NCAASoccer @TopDrawerSoccer) pic.twitter.com/wEHgpJGP64
USC Upstate (0-1-0) pulled a goal back in the 49th minute when Solomon Constant received a pass from Francis Eto and hit a hard shot from 22 yards away off the inside of the near post and just past the outstretched arms of Wolfpack goalkeeper Leon Krapf.
Sweeney put the match away in the 74th minute when he whipped in a vicious free kick 22 yards from goal at a sharp angle. The goal was the first of his career wearing the Red & White.
.@BradSweeney, ladies and gentlemen!!! Wow.
— NC State MSOC 🐺⚽️ (@PackMensSoccer) August 25, 2018
Watch live: https://t.co/6xHy9SiXnz (#golazo @NCAASoccer @TopDrawerSoccer) pic.twitter.com/47gpB4xlHc
NC State will play two of its next three matches at home. The Wolfpack visits No. 4 Akron on Monday, Aug. 27 before coming back to Raleigh to host Presbyterian on Aug. 31 and William & Mary on Sept. 3.
#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer
Team Stats
Ivy Brisma (1)
Assisted By: David Loera
GOAL by ST Ivy Brisma (FIRST GOAL), Assist by David Loera, goal number 1 for season.
6:20
Tyler Gabarra (1)
Assisted By: Manny Perez
GOAL by ST Tyler Gabarra, Assist by Manny Perez, goal number 1 for season.
31:56
CONSTANT, Solomon (1)
Assisted By: ETO, Francis
GOAL by UPST CONSTANT, Solomon, Assist by ETO, Francis, goal number 1 for season.
48:56
Brad Sweeney (1)
Straight from free kick
73:29
