MSoc @ # 20 NC State 7 PM, Tonite Dail Soccer Stadium

asu66 · Unread post by **asu66** » Mon Oct 19, 2015 10:57 am

It's Monday Night Futbol in Raleigh tonite.

No. 20 NC State men's soccer meets Appalachian State on tonight at 7 PM at Dail Soccer Stadium, streaming on GoPack.com.

- The Wolfpack (7-3-3) endured an early red card that sent Friday's match tumbling in Duke's direction. NC State will need to bounce back in its final non-conference tilt of the year. With three games remaining on the regular season schedule, NC State looks like a strong possibility for the NCAA Tournament.

- App State enters the match 6-5 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt. NC State leads the all-time series 9-3-2, with the last meeting resulting in a 4-1 win for the Pack in 2013.

- So in their last outing, Moo U got pounded by Duke while playing a man down. In turn, ASU lost a playing date due to the tragedy at USC-Upstate. Look for State to come out positively ON F-I-R-E and with a chip on their shoulders; while the Apps should be well-rested and with a minimum of serious injuries.

- I'd like to pick an upset, but that's a crazy thought. The Wolfies will want to get their swagger back after the Duke embarrassment. The two teams have had no common opponent this season. State's roster is very, very young; but the soccer skills are there.
The Pack plays only three import players--all German nationals.

LiveStats here... http://www.sidearmstats.com/ncsu/msoc/

Streaming video here... http://www.gopack.com/watch/?Live=85

asu66 · Unread post by **asu66** » Mon Oct 19, 2015 6:39 pm

Play is into the 30th minute--State scored in 28th minute--and has taken 1-0 lead --teams had been playing on relatively even terms until this strike. Apps need to step it up a notch. They need to answer.

asu66 · Unread post by **asu66** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:32 am

NC State 2 - App State 1 Final

On paper, it looks close. Looking at the stats sheet, State had a clear edge in shots, shots on goal and corners.

Still, there were some good take-aways for the Apps as they now look to finish SunBelt play and to host the conference tourney on the Ted Mac Field in the Appalachian Soccer Stadium. The lone goal was scored by true frosh Anson Girone with the assist going to true frosh Daniel Avila. That's positive for the future.

Should the Apps make a run at the tourney championship, they'll likely have to face defending champion Hartwick twice (once in the regular season plus once in the tourney). The Apps will have home field advantage on both occasions. Every little bit helps.

Up Next: Ga. South. Saturday night in Statesboro This one could get chippy.

Highbeam · Unread post by **Highbeam** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 6:00 am

ASU66, I agree with most everything you said. I drove all the way to Raleigh to watch and it's frustrating watching this team make the same defensive mistakes over and over again. Specifically in the midfield area. NC State scored their two goals on failures of the holding midfielders to track back to cover or protect the front of the defensive back line. NC State was able to exploit the space that was vacated on a run by a holding midfielder.

I have no problem with pushing numbers forward to enhance scoring chances. But, if either one of the holding midfielders goes forward to make a run, you better be sure someone covers your space until you get back or you better bust your rear to get back to protect from a counter attack, which there was. This is a obvious failure of Coach Nelson to drill these players to prevent this from happening. Yes, true freshman are gaining valuable playing experience but their inexperience killed a solid effort by a team that needs a signature win, momentum and a prayer going into the last conference games.

DoubleA · Unread post by **DoubleA** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:27 pm

I thought we maintained possession and competed well at times, but this game could just as easily ended up 3-1 or 4-1. There were obvious gaps and State seemed to be toying with us at times, as evidenced by the big advantage in shots and SOG. The speed of play was at a level we had not seen all year and State was excellent with first touch, possession, and movement off the ball. State is very capable of putting 10-20 passes together and dominating possession at tiimes. We struggle defensively with teams like State, teams that are active, with excellent 1 -2s and one touch passing. These guys can work the ball through traffic in the midfield and exploit runners with through balls to get behind our back line. It was nice to watch State's movement off the ball, as guys were continously working, circulating around field, looking for and creating opportunities. You really have to consistently work hard, communicate, maintain discipline and play great team defense. Problem is, playing schools like Howard and PC does not prepare us to play at an ACC level. Game easily could have been 4-1, just like our last meeting.