#23 Wolfpack Visits #4 Akron Monday Evening

August 26, 2018

Match Notes | Live Stats | Watch Live

RALEIGH – Off to a 1-0-0 start for the second straight season, the 23rd-ranked NC State men's soccer team takes to the road for a challenging non-conference contest at fourth-ranked Akron (0-0-1) Monday evening. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm from FirstEnergy Stadium in northern Ohio with live video coverage provided by WatchESPN.

A WIN ON MONDAY WOULD...
-Be the 511th win in program history (510-441-92).
-Be the 172nd win in HC George Kiefer's career (171-92-55).
-Be Kiefer's 10th win at NC State (9-6-4).
-Be NC State's third win over a top-five foe since 2017.
-Be NC State's second win over Akron (1-0-0).
-Snap Akron's 18 match home unbeaten streak.

SCOUTING THE ZIPS
-Advanced to the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA College Cup.
-Drew No. 9 Butler 2-2 in their season opener, extending their home unbeaten streak to 18 matches.
-Drew Denver (1-1) and Indiana (1-1) and beat Cleveland State (2-0) in preseason play.
-Preseason favorites to win the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament. The Zips have won their conference for six straight seasons.
-Five players (Micaletto, Mohamed, Egbo, Pacheco, and Ritaccio) are on national preseason watch lists.

SERIES HISTORY
-Monday's match will mark the second meeting between NC State and Akron. The prior meeting between the teams was a 2-1 NC State victory in Durham on Sept. 15, 1996.

CAREER DEBUTS AND FIRST CAREER GOALS
The win over USC Upstate 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.

Brisma and sophomore Brad Sweeney scored the first goals of their Wolfpack careers in the victory.

INCREDIBLE CROWD
An impressive crowd of 1,938 fans showed up at Dail Soccer Stadium for NC State's home opener on Aug. 24. This beat all home attendance marks from the 2017 and 2016 seasons.

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
On the eve of the 2018 season, NC State has six opponents ranked within the national top 11 of the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. The Wolfpack will take on No. 3 UNC-Chapel Hill, No. 4 Akron, No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 6 Louisville, No. 10 Duke (exhibition), and No. 11 Clemson during the season.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
After the trip to Akron, NC State hosts Presbyterian (Aug. 31) and William & Mary (Sept. 3) for its next two matches of the season.

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer

Players Mentioned

Ivy Brisma

Aidan Foster

Pepe Garcia

Caleb Martinez

Brad Sweeney

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