RALEIGH, N.C. — As the game clock ticked down under 10 minutes, junior midfielder A.J. Godbolt shouted with a combination of encouragement and desperation, “We gotta get one!”
What were the odds of it happening again?
After surrendering a goal in the second minute, which led to a disheartening 1-0 loss at Penn State Wednesday, the Terrapin men’s soccer team improbably suffered an identical fate against N.C. State yesterday.
The Wolfpack gained an early lead and subsequently took every chance to slow the game’s pace. Despite facing a constant barrage of quality Terp scoring opportunities, N.C. State managed to make its one-goal stand, winning 1-0 at Method Road Soccer Complex.
“They packed it in, and [even though] we dominated the game, we didn’t get a goal,” senior forward Jason Garey said. “It’s dejà vu.”
N.C. State forward Aaron King notched the game’s lone goal just one minute, 46 seconds in, when he handled a long pass and drove in a shot goalie Craig Salvati partially blocked, but couldn’t completely stop.
“King is an exceptional striker, and he caught us in a counter,” Terp coach Sasho Cirovski said. “The ball didn’t fall our way, and we were in a hole again.”
The Terps (5-3-0, 1-1-0 ACC) seemingly outplayed N.C. State following King’s goal. They passed effectively throughout and outshot the Wolfpack 14 to seven while putting seven attempts on goal – but none found the back of the net.
For the second consecutive game, Garey failed to notch his 46th career goal, which would place him first all-time in the Terps’ record books. But it wasn’t for a lack of opportunity.
On three occasions in the first half, Garey knocked a shot on goal only to be stoned by N.C. State goalie Jorge Gonzalez – including two right-footed rockets. The other came on a nicely placed header, but Gonzalez again provided the denial.
“Credit Jorge with good saves,” Cirovski said. “He came up with two great ones, if not three or four.”
Salvati made two saves for the Terps, who spent much of their time in the Wolfpack zone.
Injuries were another factor that influenced the game, as freshman Robbie Rogers and senior Kenney Bertz both sat for extended stretches. Rogers slightly limped off the field midway through the first half and played just seven minutes following intermission, while Bertz did not return in the second half until nine minutes remained.
Senior forward Marc Burch played considerable amount of minutes yesterday after being sidelined for four games with a bruised calf.
“We had a lot of guys playing at less than 100 percent today,” Cirovski said. “Unfortunately, we have a quick turnaround and play Tuesday.”
When asked if anything positive could come from the difficult-to-swallow defeat, Garey seemed at a loss.
“I thought we learned something from the Penn State game,” Garey said. “But we really need to learn something from [today], or our season is going to go down the drain.”
Contact reporter Daniel Chiat at chiatdbk@gmail.com.
