North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
USC Upstate (Red Out)
Wolfpack Men’s Soccer Opens 2021 Season Thursday with Home Matchup Against USC Upstate
8/25/2021 1:22:00 PM | Men's Soccer
MATCH NOTES | LIVE STATS | WATCH LIVE
RALEIGH – NC State men's soccer officially opens its 2021 season, the team's fifth campaign under the leadership of head coach George Kiefer, on Thursday night as it hosts USC Upstate. Kickoff from Dail Soccer Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the match will be streamed live on ACCNX.
FREE ADMISSION
Beginning in 2021, NC State men's soccer games are free of charge. Gates will open one hour prior to the start of the match. As NC State works toward a more normal on-campus experience, NC State Athletics will continue abiding by the current policies for campus as outlined in the University Community Standards. The game is a Red Out, and all Wolfpack fans who attend are encouraged to wear red for the match.
A WIN THURSDAY WOULD
• Be the 532nd win in program history (531-463-102)
• Be the 193rd win in Kiefer's career (192-114-65)
• Be Kiefer's 31st victory at NC State (30-28-14)
• Be NC State's third in a row over a non-conference opponent
SERIES HISTORY (NC State leads 1-0-1)
• Thursday marks the third overall meeting between USC Upstate and NC State. All three of those matchups have taken place within the five years of the Kiefer era.
• The Pack's previous two meetings against the Spartans were both played at home in back-to-back seasons (2017 and 2018).
• NC State and USC Upstate drew a scoreless match in October of 2017. The Wolfpack earned a 3-1 victory in the most recent matchup between the squads that occurred in August of 2018.
• That NC State win was also the team's season opener in the 2018 campaign. Ivy Brisma scored his first career goal, and Tyler Gabarra and Brad Sweeney added goals for the Wolfpack.
TRACKING THE PACK
• NC State returns 10 of its 11 primary starters from the 2020 squad and welcomes the addition of seven freshmen and two transfers.
• The Wolfpack returns every one of its goal scorers from last year. That includes seniors Kuda Muskwe and Ivy Brisma, who tied for the team lead in points with two goals and an assist apiece in 2020.
• NC State's 2021 signing class was ranked as high as fifth nationally. Three of the Pack's first-year players - Luke Hille, Vusumzi Plamana and Yaniv Bazini - enrolled at NC State in the spring.
• The team also brings back 11 players who earned 10+ starts apiece during the 2020 campaign. Leon Krapf, Brad Sweeney and Pablo Pedregosa each started all 15 matches for the Pack last year.
PRESEASON PLAY
NC State played a pair of exhibition matches in the preseason against ACC foes No. 15 Virginia Tech and Duke. The Wolfpack walked away with victories in both of those games. The Pack shut out the Hokies by a 2-0 score on Aug. 17 and went on to earn the 3-1 win over the Blue Devils on Aug. 21. Kuda Muskwe netted a goal in both contests, with his score against Virginia Tech coming off a penalty kick. Henrique Santos added a goal against the Hokies, and Ivy Brisma and Yaniv Bazini both found the back of the net against Duke as well.
STACKED SCHEDULE
Seven of the Pack's 16 regular-season matchups will be against teams that are nationally ranked in the preseason United Soccer Coaches' Poll. Four of those teams are in the top 10 and five are in the top 15. Six of NC State's 2021 opponents finished the 2020 season ranked in the top 25 of the final RPI standings, and seven qualified for the postseason last year.
COMING UP
NC State will continue its six-game, season-opening home streak on Monday, Aug. 30 as it welcomes UNC Asheville to Raleigh. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Dail Soccer Stadium with live video coverage provided by ACCNX.
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