After dominating the past two matches while outscoring its opponents 10-0, the women’s soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision at the hands of UNC-Charlotte (2-0) Sunday afternoon. The loss brings State’s record to 2-2 with Pittsburgh and Loyola (MD) remaining on the season-opening six game home stand.
The first 45 minutes from Dail Soccer Stadium were marked by rare scoring opportunities and spectacular goaltending, as all seven of the game’s shots were countered with saves. Despite coming into the contest with seven different goal scorers, six of the Pack’s 10 shots on the day were generated by one player. Kristina Argiroff, a forward from Kill Devil Hills, was heavily involved early on as she attempted to convert her third goal of the young season, but all three of her first half chances were turned away.
“It’s very frustrating, every time I hit the ball with my head I think it’s going to go in,”Argiroff said. “We just have to keep working on finishing.”
Although the most active offensive performer on the day could not add her name to the score sheet, Argiroff’s fellow junior teammate Paige Dugal found the back of the net to get the scoring started in the 49th minute. After State was awarded a free kick from 35 yards out, Dugal pierced a line drive shot right over the Charlotte keeper’s head to give the Pack a 1-0 lead.
“We practice this a lot the day before games,” Dugal said. “Blosser normally takes those right around the 18, but she made a judgement call so she called me out and said you can take it, it’s your range”
The defender out of Garner was the eighth different goal scorer the Wolfpack has had in the first four games. She was also one of just five starters who isn’t a freshman.
“It’s really nice to see a lot of freshmen getting up there on the points board,” Dugal said. “It’s really good to see a lot of diversity. It’s nice to have that one player you can always depend on, but it’s even better to have a bunch of people that you know even if you’re not 100% today we have other players that can do it, too”
The lead was short-lived, as the 49ers tied it just 1:07 after Dugal’s marker. Lacey McGowan scored her first of the year when she chipped in the game-tying goal from close range into the upper right hand corner of the net. Nearly 45 minutes later, Charlotte won it in extra time on a nearly identical scramble in front of the goal when Whitney Bryant sent her team’s bench into a frenzy.
State’s second year coach Steve Springthorpe said losing to UNC-Charlotte for the second consecutive season was a disappointment.
“It’s a credit to their defense,” Springthorpe said. “They have a good back line. Last year they limited our opportunities and it’s pretty much the same team that they had last year. They did a good job against our attacking players, and we needed to generate more opportunities.”
“That’s what it came down to today,” Springthorpe said. “They finished what they needed to to win and we did not. Credit goes to Charlotte. They did what they needed to do to stick the ball in the back of the net and we did not.”
The former Fresno State head man said he will try to keep an emphasis on finishing, as his team has five days to prepare for Pittsburgh. The start time is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night.
