November 15, 2018

 

RALEIGH – The NC State men’s soccer team (10-6-3) earned a 4-1 victory over visiting Campbell Thursday evening at Dail Soccer Stadium in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Championship. The win was NC State’s first victory in the competition since 1994.

 

Junior midfielder Gabriel Machado scored two goals and freshman forward Ivy Brisma added two assists in the winning effort. The Wolfpack outshot the Camels (9-9-3) by a 15-6 margin and registered more shots on target (7) than the visiting team recorded in total. NC State earned six corner kicks compared to two for Campbell, and the Wolfpack committed half as many fouls (13) as the Camels (26) in a physical contest on a Dail Soccer Stadium surface that held up well despite an entire day’s worth of rain leading up to the match.

 

Sophomore defender David Norris scored the first goal of his career on a header from a Brisma cross to put the Wolfpack up 1-0 in the 42nd minute. Campbell answered in the 61st when Alemo Merco-Miko chipped a shot over NC State goalkeeper Leon Krapf from distance. The Wolfpack responded just eight minutes later when sophomore midfielder Brad Sweeney scored from the penalty spot to put NC State up 2-1.

 

From then on, Machado brought the match home with goals in the 72nd and 74th minutes. The first came as a result of exquisite passing from David Loera and Brisma, and the second was a left-footed goal directly from a corner kick that curled nicely just inside the far post without taking any deflections.

 

Postgame Notes

-NC State has achieved 10 wins for the 21st time in program history and the first time since 2012.

-The Wolfpack now leads the series with the Camels 25-8-2.

-NC State is appearing in back-to-back NCAA Championships for the first time since 1991 and 1992.

-The Wolfpack scored four goals in a match for the first time since a 5-4 overtime loss at Boston College on Oct. 29, 2016.

 

With the win, NC State next travels to No. 15 Maryland for the second round of the NCAA Championship on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm from Ludwig Field in College Park, Md.

 

#GoPack | @PackMensSoccer