WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

MSOC: Pack falls 3-1 at Wake

Oct 20, 2012

Winston-Salem, N.C. — NC State soccer suffered a 3-1 defeat in its visit to No. 17 Wake Forest, despite a goal from Moss Jackson-Atogi to tie the match in the 50th minute.

“I’m pleased with the effort from the guys tonight,” said NC State head coach Kelly Findley. “They played their roles well, and we worked for each other. Obviously we’re not satisfied with the result, but our process is continuing to improve. If we work like that, and the guys work together, we’re going to have a strong finish to the season.”

Wake Forest (9-2-4, 3-1-3 ACC) landed the first blow in the 33rd minute when Sean Okoli scored on a pass to the right post by Luca Gimenez. State (8-7, 1-5) went to the locker room trailing 1-0, but regrouped and responded immediately.

Only five minutes into the second half, Nazmi Albadawi ripped a shot toward the Deacons’ net, and Jackson-Atogi was there with a deflection to even the score 1-1. The goal marks Jackson-Atogi’s first of the year. Albadawi’s assist represents his third of the season.

The Pack held on to that tie for almost 10 minutes before Okoli added his second goal of the match, on a cross to the left post by Ben Newnam. The Deacons extended that lead in the 70th minute when Okoli completed the hat trick after creating a turnover in the Wolfpack zone.

State’s defense withstood the Deacon attack for much of the game. Pack goalkeeper Fabian Otte finished the night with six saves.

NC State returns to action Tuesday, October 23 when the Pack hosts Adelphi at 7 p.m. Live stats for the match will be provided by GoPack.com. Fans can follow Twitter updates from @PackMensSoccer.