NC State
James Madison
Women’s Soccer Hosts James Madison to Open 2025 Campaign
8/13/2025 12:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State women's soccer kicks off its 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 14, welcoming James Madison to Dail Soccer Stadium for the first match under first-year head coach Gary Higgins. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with live coverage on ACC Network Extra.
Thursday's contest will also serve as the program's Friends & Family Night. Gates open at 6 p.m., and both admission and on-campus parking will be free for all fans.
Welcome Home, Coach Higgins
NC State McMurray Family Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan named Gary Higgins the sixth head coach in program history in December 2024. Higgins arrived in Raleigh after three seasons at East Carolina, where he guided the Pirates to a historic 2024 campaign that included a 10-4-7 record, an American Athletic Conference title, and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
Prior to his time at ECU, Higgins coached at his alma mater, Lenoir Rhyne, leading the Bears to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. The former standout player brings more than a decade of coaching experience and a proven track record of building winning programs.
Higgins' first year with the Wolfpack features an entirely new coaching staff. Associate head coach Joanna Fennema, a former North Carolina standout, led Lenoir Rhyne to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Assistants David Rodriguez (NC Courage Academy) and Juan Basabe (Lenoir Rhyne) also join the staff, each bringing valuable collegiate and club-level experience.
Last Time Out
NC State is coming off a 2024 season in which it went 4-10-4, earning wins over VCU, Charlotte, George Washington, and Clemson. The Pack's four draws came against App State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech.
The Pack's leading goal scorer was Jade Bordeleau (Terrabonne, Quebec, Canada), who netted four tallies in 2024, including a hat trick against George Washington. She tied with Annika Wohner for most points on the squad with 10, while Mana Nakata led the team with three assists.
In its lone preseason tune-up, NC State played to a 1-1 draw at Liberty on Saturday, Aug. 9, with Bordeleau scoring off a Nakata assist.
A Win Would …
- Mark the first victory for the Wolfpack under first-year head coach Higgins.
- Be the first season-opening victory for NC State since the 2022 campaign, when the Pack beat Rhode Island, 4-0.
- Mark the third victory for NC State in the lifetime series against JMU.
- Be the 403rd win in program history.
- Be Higgins' 111th win in his coaching career.
Series History
Thursday's match will be just the fourth all-time meeting between the Dukes and the Pack. The teams first played in 1992 and have not faced off since 2001.
NC State holds a narrow 2-1-0 advantage in the series, winning the first and third match ups in the head-to-head history.
Scouting the Dukes
James Madison is coming off a strong 2024 campaign in which it went 12-4-5, including an unbeaten 8-0-2 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. The Dukes captured the SBC Championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Ohio State in the first round.
Entering the 2025 season, JMU has been picked to repeat as SBC champions and boasts the preseason selections for both SBC Player of the Year and SBC Goalkeeper of the Year. Ginny Lackey, the defending Sun Belt Player and Freshman of the Year, led the conference with 12 goals despite not debuting until the sixth match of the season. Goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb, coming off a year in which she recorded a league-best seven shutouts and 56 saves, has been tabbed as the preseason choice for conference goalkeeper of the year.
Breaking Down the Roster
NC State opens 2025 with a 25-player roster featuring 14 returners and 11 newcomers, including five transfers, four freshmen and two sophomores. By class, the Pack have five seniors (one redshirt), nine juniors (one redshirt), seven sophomores and four freshmen.
The team returns its 2024 leaders in goals and points, Bordeleau, and assists leader, Nakata. Five starters from last season are back: Nakata (18 starts), Olivia Pratapas (Clemmons, N.C.) (17), Yuna Aoki (14), Alex Mohr (12) and Bordeleau (11).
Three transfers arrive from programs led by current staff including Mackenzie Smith and Erica Roberts from ECU and Lilly Soltz from Lenoir Rhyne.
Up Next
The Pack hit the road for their first away match of the season at ECU on Sunday, Aug. 17 (7 p.m.). The game marks Higgins' return to Greenville after spending the prior three seasons with the Pirates.
For more on the program, follow @packwsoccer on social media.
