NC State
2-0-0, 0-0-0
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UNC Asheville
1-1-0, 0-0-0
Full Team Effort Leads Pack to 4-0 Win Over UNC Asheville
8/30/2021 10:16:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Six different players tallied points with goals or assists on Monday night
RALEIGH – The NC State men's soccer team (2-0) earned another shutout victory on Monday evening, this time defeating visiting UNC Asheville (1-1) by a 4-0 score at Dail Soccer Stadium.
In what was truly a team effort, six different Wolfpack players tallied points on the night with either a goal or an assist. Freshman Luke Hille led the way with his brace, finding the back of the net twice in his six shot attempts. Fellow rookie Henrique Santos also put together a multi-point night as he scored the first goal of his young career and added an assist later in the outing.
The Pack is 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2018, and Monday night's decision marked the first time that NC State has posted a pair of season-opening shutouts in the George Kiefer era. Wolfpack goalkeeper Leon Krapf helped preserve the clean sheet with a big save off a penalty kick in the 87th minute, finalizing his 22nd career shutout.
NC State took early control of the ball and got four quality shots off early before Hille put the Pack on the board in the 16th minute with another incredible effort. After receiving a ball from Alex Hernandez, Hille maneuvered his way into the box where his first attempt was saved, but he collected his own rebound and finished for the score.
It took less than 10 minutes for the Pack to strike again, this time off the foot of Santos. UNC Asheville goalkeeper Leon Musial sent a clearing attempt straight toward the head of Wolfpack freshman Will Buete. A great ball by the rookie in his debut found its way to Santos, who settled it before unleashing a shot from the top of the box that finished in the bottom right corner of the goal.
After a scoreless majority of the second half, Hille struck once again in the 80th minute to extend the Pack's lead to 3-0. His goal came on the tail of a beautiful series of passes by the NC State squad that extended nearly the full field, and AJ Seals and Hernandez were credited with assists on the easy pass-in.
Wolfpack senior Aidan Foster also got in on the scoring action in the 83rd minute. Santos came down the left side nearly to the goal line before centering a pass to Foster in the middle of the box. His shot from right near the penalty mark beat out Bulldog keeper Musial.
The Pack ended the game with the 64-36 advantage in possession. Seven of the team's 19 shots were on goal, and Krapf made saves on all three of UNC Asheville's attempts on frame. In total, NC State out-shot the Bulldogs 19-6.
NC State was once again able to go deep in its balanced lineup, with 22 players seeing time on the field against the Bulldogs. Buete and Windham Ellis played in Wolfpack uniform for the first time, and returners Alex Bautista, Tal Segev, Jose Morales Jr., and Jared Miller made their first appearances of the 2021 season.
NC State turns its attention to the George Tarantini Classic that it is set to host over Labor Day Weekend. The four-team event will run matches on Sept. 3 and Sept. 6, with the Pack facing No. 10 Seton Hall at 7 p.m. Friday night and No. 13 UCF at 7 p.m. on Monday night.
#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer
Team Stats
Luke Hille (3)
GOAL by NCSU Hille, Luke.
15:28
Henrique Santos (1)
Assisted By: Will Buete
GOAL by NCSU Santos, Henrique Assist by Buete, Will.
24:05
Luke Hille (3)
Assisted By: Alex Hernandez , AJ Seals
GOAL by NCSU Hille, Luke Assist by Hernandez, Alex and Seals, AJ.
79:16
Aidan Foster (1)
Assisted By: Henrique Santos
GOAL by NCSU Foster, Aidan Assist by Santos, Henrique.
82:33
