Following a shutout win against the Virginia Military Institute Keydets, the Wolfpack (2-2) will travel to College Park, Md. to face the Maryland Terrapins Saturday night. Though N.C. State netted four goals against VMI, scoring will likely be harder to come by against the Terrapins.
Maryland features the No. 1 goalkeeper in the nation, according to topdrawersoccer.com, in junior Zac MacMath. The goalkeeper led the No. 5 ranked Terrapins to a double overtime tie against Boston College last week and will look to shut down the Pack as well.
But coach George Tarantini and Co. will look to come out and score early and often to take down the Terrapins. With three freshmen, Mamadou Kansaye, Nader Jaibat and Sonny Mukungu, combining to score six points on Wednesday night, Tarantini said State can find a way to score more goals.
“[Wednesday night] we worked very hard in the second half,” coach George Tarantini said. “We did a pretty good job. We had the opportunity to play a lot more players and get used to one another, which is what we’re trying to do. We had a lot of opportunities to score and that’s what we were looking for.”
That experience as a team will be crucial for the Pack as it faces Maryland. State is looking for its first win against an ACC foe, as it is 0-1 after a loss to UNC-Chapel Hill last Friday night. Junior defender Tyler Lassiter said he hopes the momentum gained from the win against VMI will help his team against the Terrapins.
“This is a big morale boost and we needed this, coming off two losses,” Lassiter said.
Lassiter also got in on the scoring Monday night, as he found the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
“I was just ready to score, ready to keep my team in the lead, give them momentum and keep them playing,” Lassiter said. “It felt great; it’s great to score a goal when I’m a defender.”
Maryland will be the Pack’s third foe ranked in the top 25. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 3 in the nation, while the Louisville Cardinals were ranked No. 20 when State dropped that matchup in overtime. But State played both of these teams close, losing both matches by one goal.
In addition to increasing its offensive output, State will also need to maintain the defensive stability found in the shutout win over VMI. Defense from Lassiter and the stopping ability of redshirt junior goalie Will Mackvick will need to be on display Saturday night in order for the Wolfpack to knock off Maryland.
Mackvick has played every minute at the goalie position so far this season and has compiled some noteworthy statistics thus far. His goals-against average is at 1.44 per game, and he has made 17 saves over the course of four games.
“It’s a huge game,” Mackvick said about the match. “It’s a must-win every single game. [Wednesday night’s] game gives us a platform going into the Maryland game.”
