RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State women's soccer will host Syracuse for its final regular-season home game on Thursday, October 15, at 6 p.m. The match will serve as Senior Night, recognizing nine seniors: Ellie Breech, Yuna Aoki, Erica Roberts, Rosalie Olou, Carly Montgomery, Jade Bordeleau, Mary Frances Symmes, Mackenzie Smith, and Sophia Hernandez. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX.
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Before the team's warm-up, the senior ceremony will take place at 4:50 p.m. Admission to both the match and the ceremony is free.
A win in this match would mark Gary Higgins' 15th victory as head coach of NC State and the 417th win in the program's history. It would also be Higgins' 125th career win, the program's sixth victory over Syracuse, the Pack's 10th win of the season, and its third in the ACC. Additionally, it would signify the most wins in a season for NC State since 2019.
In their last outing, NC State fell to Pitt 1-0 on October 8, experiencing their first shutout of the season. The Wolfpack outshot Pitt 6-3 in the first half, although a breakaway goal by Fien Leijdekker was ruled offside. The only goal came from Pitt's Desiree Reed in the 67th minute, despite late attempts by Erica Roberts and Carly Montgomery to equalize.
This match will be the 10th encounter between NC State and Syracuse, with the Wolfpack holding a 5-2-2 edge in the series. Their last confrontation ended in a 1-1 draw in 2024, with an assist recorded by Mana Nakata for NC State. In their previous meeting in Raleigh in 2023, NC State secured a 2-0 win.
Syracuse enters this matchup with a record of 4-7-2 overall and 1-5-0 in ACC play. The Orange achieved their first conference win against Pitt on September 24, but have since lost to No. 15 Virginia and No. 8 Stanford. Head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams is in her eighth season with Syracuse, joined by first-year associate head coach Brian Dunleavy and assistant coach Michele Barletta.