#4 NC State Begins ACC Play at #1 Wake Forest Friday

September 6, 2018

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RALEIGH – The fourth-ranked NC State men's soccer team (4-0-0) will play its first Atlantic Coast Conference match of the season Friday evening at No. 1 Wake Forest (4-0-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm from Spry Stadium with live video coverage provided by ACC Network Extra.

A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD...
-Be the 514th win in program history (513-441-92).
-Be the 175th win in HC George Kiefer's career (174-92-55).
-Be Kiefer's 13th win at NC State (12-6-4).
-Be NC State's 13th win over Wake Forest (12-26-5).
-Be NC State's first win at Wake Forest since 1993.
-Continue NC State's best start to a season since 2012.
-Be NC State's fourth straight win over a team that won its conference during the 2017 season.

SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS (4-0-0)
-Ranked No. 1 in all three major polls.
-2017 ACC champion and NCAA Tournament quarterfinalist.
-In the midst of a three-match home stand.
-Outscored opponents 13-5 this season.
-No. 10 Bruno Lapa leads the team with five goals and four assists.
-Have not yet trailed an opponent all season.

SERIES HISTORY (Wake Forest leads 26-12-5)
-Wake Forest has won the last two meetings between the teams (2017 and 2016).
-NC State last earned a result against Wake Forest with a 0-0 draw in Raleigh during the 2015 season.
-NC State last defeated Wake Forest during the 2005 season. The Wolfpack won 2-1 in Raleigh.
-The Wolfpack's last win at Wake Forest was a 1-0 victory in 1993.

BEST RANKING EVER
In the Sept. 4 United Soccer Coaches rankings, the Wolfpack was listed as eighth in the nation. In the available archives of this ranking system (1997-present), this is the highest ranking ever achieved by the NC State men's soccer program during the course of a season.

NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior midfielder Gabriel Machado was named the TopDrawerSoccer National Player of the Week (Sept. 4) and ACC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 3) after scoring the match-winning goals in wins at No. 2 Akron and vs. Presbyterian.

CALLED UP TO THE NATIONAL TEAM
Manny Perez has been called up once again by the United States Soccer Federation to join the U-20 Men's National Team in Bradenton, Fla., from Sept. 7-11.

BALANCED SCORING AND FIRST CAREER GOALS
NC State's nine goals this season have come from eight different players. Newcomer Gabriel Machado leads the team with two, both of which being game winners.

QUALITY CHANCES
NC State is outpacing its opponents in total shots (42-35) this season and holds a significant edge in shots on goal (23-11). The Wolfpack has scored nine of its 23 shots on frame so far this year while opponents have only scored two of their 11.

ACC WEEKENDS
Friday's match at No. 1 Wake Forest begins a stretch of the season during which the next eight weekends will feature conference opponents.

WINS OVER THE BEST
With its win at No. 2 Akron on Sept. 27, the Wolfpack has now won three matches against top-five foes since the beginning of the 2017 season. Two of those victories have been on the road.

GREAT GOAL DIFFERENCE
Through three matches this season, NC State has scored nine goals and just allowed two for a goal difference of +7. As of September 6, this ties for second in the ACC with UNC-Chapel Hill. Wake Forest is first at +8.

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer

#4 NC State Begins ACC Play at #1 Wake Forest Friday

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Players Mentioned

Gabriel Machado

Manny Perez