#12 Wolfpack Earns 2-2 Draw with #6 Cardinals

NC State is undefeated at home through six matches this season

 

September 28, 2018

 

RALEIGH – The 12th-ranked NC State men’s soccer team earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw against visiting No. 6 Louisville Friday evening at Dail Soccer Stadium.

 

NC State (6-2-1, 1-2-1 ACC) gave up a goal in the 27th minute of the match and trailed until the 76th minute when Aidan Foster scored his second career goal to pull things level. Just 10 minutes later, Gabriel Machado scored what appeared to be his fourth match-winning goal of the season, but Tate Schmitt of Louisville (6-1-2, 3-0-1 ACC) curled in a free kick from 22 yards out in the 90th minute to send the match to overtime.

 

Postgame Notes

-NC State remains unbeaten at home in 2018 (5-0-1).

-The Wolfpack is 1-0-1 against the Cardinals during NC State head coach George Kiefer’s time in Raleigh and leads the overall series 3-2-2.

-Redshirt senior Ade Taiwo returned from injury to make his first appearance of the season on Friday.

-The teams combined for 37 fouls and five yellow cards during the course of the match.

-Louisville outshot NC State 11-4 but all four of NC State’s shots were on target.

 

Louisville opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Cherif Dieye capitalized on an unsuccessful Wolfpack clearance. He was able to dribble in a tight space inside the NC State penalty area and curl a shot inside the far post and just past a diving Leon Krapf.

 

NC State was held without a shot for the first 75 minutes of the match but created multiple quality scoring opportunities from that point onward. Machado recorded NC State’s first shot in the 76th minute, forcing Louisville goalkeeper Jake Gelnovatch into a difficult save. The rebound spilled to David Loera, who artfully dodged multiple Cardinal defenders and chipped in a terrific ball to teammate Aidan Foster, who headed an attempt low and inside the far post to level the match.

 

In the 86th minute, Brad Sweeney played a long ball across the field to Tanner Roberts. The senior forward skillfully chested the ball into the path of Machado, who took a quick touch and chipped the goalkeeper perfectly from 22 yards to give the Wolfpack its first lead of the evening.

 

Louisville tied it up in the 90th minute when Schmitt bent a left-footed free kick past a diving Krapf and just inside the right post with 51 seconds remaining in regulation.

 

The first overtime period passed without any quality scoring opportunities for either side. NC State’s Simon Blotko came up huge in the second overtime period, as he slid to deny Adam Wilson’s shot from point-blank range in the 106th minute, keeping the match level before it would ultimately end in the 2-2 draw.

 

NC State returns to action at home on Tuesday, Oct. 2 when James Madison comes to Raleigh. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm from Dail Soccer Stadium with live video coverage provided by ACC Network Extra.

 

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer