WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Opening its 2022 conference slate on the road, NC State men’s soccer (2-1-1, 0-1-0 ACC) came up short 2-0 to fourth-ranked Wake Forest (5-0-0, 1-0-0 ACC) on Saturday night.
Prior to the match, the Wolfpack had secured points with draws in each of its last two matches against the Demon Deacons. The outing marked NC State’s 18th against a top-five opponent in six seasons of the George Kiefer era.
Making his third start of the season in goal, sophomore keeper Lucas Hatsios set a new career high in saves with six on the night.
After a red card was assessed to Wolfpack defender Alex Bautista in the 15th minute, the team played down a man for the final 75 minutes of the game. That card was shown immediately after a caution on Calem Tommy that resulted in a penalty kick for Wake Forest, and the Demon Deacons converted on that shot to go up 1-0 with 30:16 left in the first half.
NC State managed to weather through the early setback, not giving up another goal on the remaining eight first-half shots by the Demon Deacons. Hatsios made three of his saves in the opening 45 minutes, and the Pack kept pressure on the ball with a few timely deflections to stay within striking distance headed into the second half.
Wake scored its second goal in the 79th minute, and NC State was not able to generate a score after that.
The Wolfpack returns home on Tuesday, Sept. 13 for a nationally-televised match against visiting James Madison. The game is…
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