RALEIGH, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team's magical postseason run came to an end after a 2-0 loss to No. 15 NC State on Sunday at Dail Soccer Field in Raleigh, North Carolina.
HOW IT HAPPENED
North Carolina State came out of the gates firing with an early sixth minute goal to catch the Spartans on the back foot early. The Wolfpacks' offense continued to put pressure on the UNCG backline by taking three additional shots in a five-minute span. Eventually, the Spartans regained their composure and fired off the next three shots with two having to be saved by the NC State goalkeeper. The match continued to be a back-and-forth battle as the Spartan defense fought off two additional Wolfpack shots to end the half only down 1-0.
The second half saw a revitalized UNCG attack and in the 49th minute Enzo Dovlo smashed a shot that beat the goalkeeper but was off the post. Dovlo again threatened to score in the 62ndminute as he timed his run perfectly into the box. He maneuvered his way past the goalkeeper and had an open goal but a NC State defender arrived just in time to block the shot and end the chance. In the 78th minute, the Wolfpack got numbers in the box off a thrown in and through traffic fired a shot that squeaked past Seth Wilson to extend the lead to 2-0. The last 12 minutes, NC State played keep away as the Wolfpack ran down the remainder of the clock to end the match 2-0.
BY THE NUMBERS
RECORDS
UNCG: 12-5-6 (3-2 SoCon)
NCST: 14-2-4 (4-1-3 ACC)
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WRAP UP
The Spartans earned their 20th ticket to the NCAA Tournament, after facing the ninth-toughest schedule in the nation. The Spartans carried a Top 25 ranking in the United Coaches Poll from Week 1 to the end of the season. UNCG faced three top 25 programs during the regular season, earning a victory against No. 5 High Point, and tying No. 9 Virginia and No. 3 NC State. The victory against High Point was the highest ranked win since no. 2 Clemson in 2021