NC State Women’s Soccer Defeats BC 1-0

NEWTON, Mass. – The NC State women’s soccer team continued its breakout season with a 1-0 victory over Boston College on Sunday afternoon at the Newton Campus Lacrosse and Soccer Complex. Ricarda Walkling scored in the sixth minute to give NC State the decisive goal after getting her own rebound twice and blasting the third chance past the BC keeper.

NC State improves to 9-3-0 (3-1-0 ACC) with the win, while Boston College falls to 9-3-1 (1-3-0 ACC) after the loss. The victory is the Pack’s third over a team receiving votes in the NSCAA Poll and the team’s eighth win in the last nine matches.

A Milestone Victory:

For the first time since 2006, NC State has defeated back-to-back ACC opponents and won three conference matches in a single season. It’s the ninth win of the year – the most since 2011, and it’s the second ever victory over Boston College – the first since 1990.

Lockdown Defense:

In what was set to be a matchup between offensive powerhouses, the team’s defenses stood out. The Pack defense limited the BC attack. Goalie Sydney Wootten was well protected by the backline and when tested was up to the task. The sophomore preserved another clean sheet and is up to 42 saves on the year. NC State has five shutouts this season, including two shutouts in ACC play.

Santoro’s Take:

“It was a hard fought game. Anytime you have to play on the road in the ACC it’s a tough match. Boston College is always tough to play away. It’s a different surface to play on, there is a flight and they always have a tough team to play with an attacking-minded blue collar style.

“The defending and goalkeeping were very good for us today. To shut that team out on the road is a good feat. The team deserves a lot of credit for that. Their attacking players score a lot of goals against a lot of teams. Our team deserves credit for the shutout.

“Any ACC win means a lot. We have a really tough game on Thursday – an away game against a Louisville team who is doing well. We’ll enjoy this a little bit, but move on the next one. We’ve done a good job of putting matches behind us and moving on the next one.”

– NC State women’s soccer head coach Tim Santoro

Match Recap:

The Wolfpack scored quickly, as Walkling buried her third goal of the year from a blast off the top of the crossbar in the sixth minute. Walking’s first two shots were blocked by the Boston College defense before her third shot was put past everyone and into the net. The German is up to 10 points this year with three goals and four assists.

The goal marks the 10th time the Wolfpack has scored in the first 15’ of the first or second half this season.

NC State then held the lead the rest of the half. Boston College launched several attacks towards the Wolfpack goal, but none were able to get past defense or Wootten, who made two big saves to keep the Eagles from scoring in the first half.

In the second half, Boston College was limited to just one shot on goal, which forced Wootten to make a diving save. The Pack held strong in the final minutes to cap off the win with another shutout.

Up Next:

NC State faces a road trip to Louisville Thursday, who is currently receiving votes in the NSCAA National Poll and is ranked in the Soccer America Poll.