NC State
Mercer
Pack Ready for Weekend Matches Against Mercer, Radford as Part of Virginia Tech Tournament
9/1/2022 4:35:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BLACKSBURG, Va. – After going perfect in its first two home matches of the season, NC State men's soccer hits the road for the first time over Labor Day Weekend to participate in the Virginia Tech Tournament.
The Wolfpack (2-0) will face Mercer (1-0-1) at 4 p.m. on Friday, with that neutral-site match taking place at Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Va. There will be no live streaming for that game.
NC State will then turn around to take on Radford (0-2) in a true road match still as part of the tournament. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start from Cupp Stadium and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
SERIES HISTORY WITH MERCER (7-0-1)
• Friday marks the ninth overall meeting between NC State and Mercer. This will be the first time the squads have faced each other in the George Kiefer era.
• The Pack remains unbeaten against the Bears, with all previous matchups having occurred on NC State's home field.
• NC State and Mercer last faced each other on Aug. 26, 2012 in a game that ended with a 2-1 Wolfpack victory.
SERIES HISTORY WITH RADFORD (5-4-0)
• Monday marks the 10th overall meeting between NC State and Radford. This will be the first time the squads have faced each other in the Kiefer era.
• All but two of the previous matchups have occurred at the Wolfpack's home field.
• NC State last faced off against Radford on Aug. 26, 2016 as part of the JMU Invitational that season. The Highlanders won that game by a 1-0 score.
TRACKING THE PACK
• Graduate student Conor Kelly scored the game winner in his NC State debut on Aug. 26 and followed up with a hat trick in the Pack's Aug. 29 win. Kelly's hat trick marked the first for a member of the program since at least the 2013 season.
• Going into the weekend, Kelly ranks second nationally in total goals (4), total points (8) and points per game (2.0) this season. All of those numbers lead the ACC.
• A win over Mercer on Friday would give NC State its first 3-0 start to a season since 2018 when it won its first four contests of that campaign.
• Wolfpack goalkeepers Lucas Hatsios and Win Ellis each earned shutouts in the first starts of their careers. They have combined for six saves (four by Hatsios, two by Ellis) across NC State's two wins.
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