Dail Stadium will host its first ACC game of the season as N.C. State (3-2-2, 0-1 in ACC) takes on Clemson (1-4,0-1 in ACC) Friday at 7 p.m.
The Pack will hope to capitalize on their runaway victory against Presbyterian Tuesday to take their first win in ACC play against the Tigers, who are currently on a three-game losing streak.
Junior defender Moritz Steidten, German native and second in points scored for the Pack, said he was happy with the way the team was playing. Despite the setback against No.1 Maryland, he said the team was really shaping up well.
“I think the game against Maryland was not so bad. We lost, sure, but we played a good game against the No.1 team in the country,” Steidten said. “We played a good game against Presbyterian and now we are looking forward to Clemson.”
Steidten was quick to acknowledge Clemson but was confident the Pack will do well against them.
“I think Clemson is a good team,” Steidten said. “Every team in the ACC is a good team, so we will prepare well and give our best and hopefully we’ll beat Clemson.”
Freshman midfielder Ollie Kelly, England native and leader in goals and points scored, spoke about the cohesion developing in the team. He said it has led to a better performance in all the games, like the one against Presbyterian when the team triumphed 4-0.
“We are all a new group of players and it’s taking a while for us to gel,” Kelly said. “You can see in training, everyone is trying to gel now and the ball has started to move quicker and people have started to score more happens.”
Coach Kelly Findley, who’s in his first year at State, said he was happy with the progress made so far with the team. Despite the defeat to Maryland last week, he said he was satisfied with the way his boys performed.
“I think the hard part is that we have a big league game on the weekend, that’s harder than rebounding from a loss,” Findley said. “We were playing against the No.1 team in the country and [away]. We were not happy with the result, but we had some good moments and we felt like our game plan was working. We are pretty pleased with the progress we have home.”
Kelly commended the freshmen and the new starters for putting the team on their backs and showing maturity beyond their years.
“It’s a huge piece for us; right now we are relying on a lot of young guys,” Findley said. “We are starting nine new guys on a regular basis, seven of which are first-year college players. They are maturing quickly and I don’t think they are playing like first-year players anymore.”
