The men’s soccer team that will take to Dail Soccer Field for the first time tomorrow night should look remarkably similar to a squad fans have seen before. That’s because the players are so confident in the Pack’s chances that they stayed back to play for ACC dominance one last time.
“We have basically everybody back,” Tarantini said. “The nucleus of the team is the same. The thing that isn’t the same is that we knew what happened to us last year.”
Last year, the Pack suffered from a slow start – just one win in its first eight games – and wound up with an 8-8-1 regular season record (3-5 ACC), good enough for an eighth seed in the ACC Tournament. The Pack beat Virginia Tech in the opening round but was crushed by Wake Forest in the quarterfinals.
“We started slow, and that made things difficult for us,” Tarantini said. “We understood that and we’ve been working all season long to be ready for the first game. The first game is like the last game. Every game is the final.”
Goaltender Chris Widman seconded Tarantini’s words, saying the team can only stand to improve.
“We didn’t lose any starters from last year, so we expect to do a lot better,” Widman said.
In January, when college soccer was the last thing on anyone’s minds, Pack assistant coaches were leading 5:45 a.m. runs before classes and practices in the afternoon. The team’s pace has only intensified since then.
Tarantini said several players had opportunities to leave, but stayed behind in hopes of prolonging their soccer careers – and potentially leading State into the playoffs.
“For [the seniors], it’s a great opportunity to show what they’re all about,” Tarantini said.
Widman had already graduated, but he had another year of eligibility. He went to work at Bank of America in Charlotte this summer, but he returned for one last season with State.
“A lot of people made a lot of sacrifices,” Tarantini said.
Seniors Ronnie Bouemboue and Alan Sanchez, both of whom were All-ACC second-team selections last year, are back for another bout with the Pack.
To compliment its veteran core, the Wolfpack welcomed Omar Asad, a sophomore midfielder who attended State last year but didn’t play soccer, and freshmen Jeff Basey, David Brown, Andrew Carey, Daniel Comer, Michael Smith, and Michael Mastriano this off-season.
In addition, Trinidad native Akil DeFreitas transferred to State from North Florida, where he was named to the Atlantic Sun first-team All-Conference, was second on his team in points, and first in game-winning goals with three.
Though tonight’s game is only a scrimmage, Widman said it carries special significance. “We outplayed them last year, but we lost,” Widman said. “We beat Duke and UVA, but we lost to UNC-G. We’re excited to actually play because we’ve been practicing for a while, but we’re also really excited about getting back at UNC-G for last year.”
The Pack’s season officially begins with a home contest against Winthrop on September 1 at 7 p.m.
