Wolfpack Visits Panthers Sunday in ACC Tournament Quarterfinal

November 8, 2019

MATCH NOTES | LIVE STATS | TV: ACC NETWORK

RALEIGH – Seeking to earn its first trip to the semifinal round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament since 2009, the fifth-seeded NC State men's soccer team (9-5-3) visits fourth-seeded Pittsburgh (8-6-2) in the quarterfinal round on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 pm from Ambrose Urbanic Field with live national television coverage provided by the ACC Network.

The winner of NC State and Pittsburgh will play either top-seeded Clemson or eighth-seeded Notre Dame on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Clemson will host the winner of NC State and Pittsburgh if it defeats Notre Dame. If Notre Dame defeats Clemson, the winner of NC State and Pittsburgh will host the Fighting Irish in the semifinal round.

A WIN ON SUNDAY WOULD...
-Be the 529th win in program history (528-453-98).
-Be the 190th win in head coach George Kiefer's career (189-104-61).
-Be Kiefer's 28th win at NC State (27-18-10).
-Be Kiefer's third ACC Tournament win (2-2-0).
-Be NC State's 15th win in the ACCT (14-27-6).
-Be NC State's first semifinal appearance since 2009.

NOTING THE WOLFPACK (9-5-3)
-Finished 5th in the ACC standings, best since 2005.
-Advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament for the second straight season.
-Ranked 17th in the TopDrawerSoccer poll, 26th in the NCAA rankings, and 27th in the RPI.
-Strength of schedule: 14.
-Outshooting opponents 188-145 (84-51 on goal).
-Outshooting opponents 87-53 in the first half.
-Outscoring opponents 11-5 in the first half.
-Nine players have scored the team's 20 goals.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS (8-6-2)
-RPI is 36. Fourth-place finish in ACC standings is their best in conference play (ACC or BIG EAST) since 2000.
-Team is 6-2-1 at home this season.
-Have won two of their last three matches, including a 2-0 victory at then-No. 1 Virginia on Oct. 18.
-No. 9 Edward Kizza leads the team with nine goals.
-On average, outshooting opponents 16-10 each match. Ranked 7th nationally in shots on goal per match (7.31).
-Ranked 21st nationally in corner kicks earned per match (6.25).

SERIES HISTORY (NC State leads 3-2-1)
-In the last meeting, NC State lost 3-1 at Pittsburgh on Sept. 25, 2018.
-NC State's last win over Pittsburgh was a 3-0 victory in Raleigh during the 2016 season.
-NC State has never won at Pittsburgh (0-2-1 all-time).

TWO STRAIGHT QUARTERFINAL APPEARANCES
NC State is making its second straight appearance in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament. The last time a Wolfpack team achieved this was 2010 and 2011.

WHEN MUSKWE SCORES, THE WOLFPACK WINS
Sophomore striker Kuda Muskwe leads the Wolfpack with five goals, four of which have been match-winners. NC State is 5-0-0 when Muskwe finds the back of the net.

SEEKING THIRD STRAIGHT NCAA APPEARANCE
By qualifying for the 2018 NCAA Tournament, NC State made back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since 1991-92. If the team qualifies for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, it would mark the first time NC State has made three straight postseasons since 1985-87.

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer

Wolfpack Visits Panthers Sunday in ACC Tournament Quarterfinal

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Players Mentioned

Kuda Muskwe