NC State
(#8/No. 13 seed) Marshall (Sweet 16)
Pack Men’s Soccer Heads to Marshall for Sweet 16 Match-Up
11/29/2024 3:57:00 PM | Men's Soccer
RALEIGH – NC State men's soccer travels to West Virginia to meet with Marshall for the first time ever in a 2024 Sweet Sixteen face off. The game is set for 2 p.m. at Hoops Family Field in Huntington, West Virginia on Saturday, November 30.
Match Info
• The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on NCAA.com.
• The game is ticketed and will be available for purchase here.
• The winner of the match is slated to travel to play the winner of Dayton/SMU on the road in the elite eight.
Postseason Pack
• Despite losing to Virginia in the opening round of the ACC Championships, the Pack's impressive season in the national rankings earned them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The team led the Virginia match 1-0 for the majority of the game while missing three of its intended starters.
• NC State obtained its 17th postseason berth into the NCAA Championships, making it the program's first appearance since 2019. A 2-1 win over Charlotte in double overtime marked the first NCAA game the program has won since 2018.
• The 2-0 win over Georgetown on the road marked the 10th win of the season, making it the first 10+ win season since 2018.
A Win On Saturday Would…
• Be the 561st win in program history (560-491-116)
• Be the 243rd win in Hubbard's head coaching career (242- 55-42)
• Be Hubbard's 11th victory at NC State (10-4-5)
• Be the 1st-ever win over the Herd (0-0-0)
Series History
• Saturday's match marks the first-ever meeting between the Wolfpack and the Herd.
Regular Season Recap
• The Wolfpack held a spot in the rankings (United Soccer Coaches Poll) for six out of the 11 weeks of the regular season. Doing so, marked their first time in the top-25 since the 2019 season. Week 10 rankings put NC State at No. 12, their highest position since the 2018 season.
• The ACC boasted nine teams in the NCAA Tournament, more than any other conference - Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford, Virginia, and Wake Forest. After the first round, eight of those nine advanced.
• The Wolfpack earned a victory in their first ACC game by a 2-1 score on Sept. 6th at home. It marked the first-ever game for any Cal sport to play as a member of the ACC.
• A 7-0 win over Winthrop in Raleigh marked the first time the program has scored seven goals since September of 1996.
• Taig Healy was named to the USL2 Team of the Year from his time with the Seacoast United Phantoms over the summer.
• Goalkeeper, Logan Erb, was named an ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 8 after shutting out No. 2 Stanford on the road and recording five saves in the game.
• Posted a dominant 5-1 win over No. 10 SMU at home to record the first ranked win of the Marc Hubbard era. This was also the first top-10 win for the program since Oct. of 2018.
Across the ACC
• Three members of the Pack (Taig Healy, Hakim Karamoko, and Niko Markovic) earned All-ACC honors at the conclusion of the regular season. This marks the first time since 2017 the program has had three players in the same season earn conference honors.
• Healy was also named to the All-ACC Second Team after tallying six goals and three assists so far this year. The New Hampshire transfer quickly put himself on the map to start the season and was eventually named to TopDrawerSoccer's Top-100 Midseason Watch List at No. 65. Five of his goals came from the first nine games of the 2024 slate, including opponents such as High Point, James Madison, and Duke.
• Karamoko earns All-ACC Second Team honors by closing out the season leading the Pack in goals and points with seven and 16 total, respectively. The New York native also tied for second on the team with 38 shots taken. Throughout the regular season he played in all 16 regular season games with 11 starts while collecting two assists. He was put on the 15 player ACC Men's Soccer Preseason Watch List back in August after closing out the 2023 campaign with All-Freshman Team honors.
• Markovic earned All-Freshman honors from his impressive season on the defensive back line for the Pack. Originally, he did not hold a starting spot but filled in for an injured teammate early in the season and let his actions earn the starting nod for him. The Quebec, Canada native would then go on start and play the remaining 14 games of the season. He was even able to record two assists in the home game against Winthrop and on the road at William & Mary.
Hubbard at the Helm
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 season, Marc Hubbard joined NC State men's soccer as the 10th head coach in program history. The highly-touted coach came from New Hampshire where he led the Wildcats to seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances since 2017 and four America East Tournament Championships. Prior to his time at New Hampshire, he led Southern New Hampshire to a Division II National Championship in 2013 and was named the 2013 National Coach of the Year. Hubbard has posted double-digit victories in every full season as a head coach, is a nine-time conference coach of the year, five-time regional coach of the year, and has coached seven MLS Draft picks and more than 20 All-Americans.
Through the first seven games under Hubbard, NC State had its best start to a season since 1992. Now, the program is having its best final leg to a season since 1994. Hubbard is also the only coach in the 2024 Sweet Sixteen in their first year at their school.
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