4 NC State Freshman Rank in Top 100

RALEIGH. N.C. – The NC State women’s soccer team finds itself in elite company as one of four teams to have four players ranked in the Top Drawer Soccer Top-100 Freshman List. The other three schools to hold the same honor are No. 2 Florida State and No. 8 Virginia and No. 10 UCLA. The Pack is also one of only five teams to have two players in the top-25.

No. 14 Kristinia Schuster, No. 24 Ricarda Walking, No. 36 Kia Rankin and No. 51 Tziarra King all landed on the midseason list.

The four have all started every match for the Pack this season, accounting for 52 starts and 39 points from 13 goals and 13 assists. Currently, King, Rankin and Walking’s 11 points each are tied for the team lead.

Schuster, who was selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week for Sep. 20th, has been exceptional on the flanks. The German is up to four assists and one goal, while being a reliable defender on the backline against some of the best attacking teams in the nation.

Walking is tied for fifth in the ACC and holds the team lead with five assists. The former Bayern Munich youth player has commanded the Wolfpack attack in the midfield and added three goals to her five assists.

The athletic Rankin has played all over the attacking half for the Pack this season. She has developed into a big scoring threat for the Pack with four goals in her last seven matches and she’s recorded three assists this season.

King is currently tied for the team lead with five goals this season. The New Jersey midfielder has frustrated defenses all season long with her ability to weave and cut through opposition. King has tallied three game-winning goals this season – a mark that is currently tied for fourth in the ACC. She also leads the team with 21 shots on target.

The four have not only thrived individually, but spurred a youth movement within the team, helping the Pack reach milestones previously untouched in recent history. NC State is off to 9-4-1 (3-2-1 ACC) start. The ACC record is the best start to conference play since the 1996 team also went 3-1-1 to open the year. The team is also nationally ranked for the first time in years, checking in at No. 21 in the RPI, No. 24 in the Soccer America Poll and No. 27 in the NSCAA Poll.

NC State has defeated four teams ranked or receiving votes in the NSCAA Poll, including a historic win over then No. 7 North Carolina and an impressive road win at then RV Boston College. Additionally, the Pack has the strongest away record in the ACC with a 4-1-1 mark on the road.

Overall, anywhere from five to seven freshmen have started each game for the Pack. NC State’s freshmen have scored its last 13 goals and accounted for 54 of the team’s 81 points from 19 goals and 16 assists.