NC State women’s soccer upset by UCF on penalty kicks in NCAA first round

In its very first overtime match this season, the NC State women’s soccer team fell to the UCF Knights in heartbreaking fashion via penalty kicks in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The 1-1 (4-2 PKs) loss came in an extremely competitive match, with some excellent soccer played from both sides. After a 1-1 deadlock in regulation remained unresolved following overtime, the Knights prevailed with a strong showing in the resulting shootout, upsetting the 8th-seeded Wolfpack.

While NC State took a favorable 1-0 lead in the penalty kicks, UCF refused to miss there on after, sending in its next four shots to win the shootout 4-2 and sealing the upset victory.

Despite the shootout loss, NC State still played a competitive 110 minutes of soccer, giving UCF all it could handle at Dail Soccer Field. Even with the great play, however, the Wolfpack still found itself on the losing side of the penalty kick round, ending its 2022 season.

“I thought we played really well,” said head coach Tim Santoro. “The game should have never gone past 90 minutes, but they hung around… It’s probably the best we’ve played in about a month… You always hate to see your season end this way.”

An uneventful overtime period was preceded by a back-and-forth regulation that saw both sides get one goal each and plenty of opportunities. NC State opened the scoring up right after halftime in the 53rd minute as sophomore midfielder Annika Wohner earned a penalty kick due to a UCF handball. The sophomore slotted it away in the bottom right corner of the goal to take the lead, but the Knights didn’t go down so easily.

Calm. Cool. Collected. @AnnikaWohner puts us in front!#GoPackBaby | ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/wZQTnGu9Wb

— PackWSoccer⚽️ (@PackWSoccer) November 13, 2022

UCF scored on its own penalty kick just under 20 minutes later, creating a 1-1 tie that proved enough to carry the competition into and past overtime. While NC State created chances with some persistent efforts by senior forward Jameese Joseph, it was fellow senior forward Leyah Hall-Robinson that shined for the Wolfpack.

Hall-Robinson paced the team with five shots, three of which were on goal, and created numerous opportunities in the attacking third. She played an integral role in helping the Wolfpack outshoot its opponents, whether it was off her own foot or her teammates’.

“She was dynamite today,” Santoro said. “She really was our best player. I thought everyone had a good game, but she was exceptional.”

Even with an exceptional performance from Hall-Robinson, the Pack struggled to connect the dots in the attacking third, failing to achieve that final pass to get one past the UCF keeper.

“We weren't good around the final 20 yards,” Santoro said. “I thought we did some great stuff in our build-ups, getting into their final third, the final pass and the runs. It’s kind of a problem that's been with us all year, creating around the goal. Just couldn't come up with something.”

On the other end of the field, junior goalkeeper Maria Echezarreta excelled in goal, as per usual. The junior made save after save, notching six throughout the game, including two key stops in overtime.

Huge save near the half for @Maria19cheza! 43' | NCSU 0, UCF 0#GoPackBaby | ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/31x3qmYk9r

— PackWSoccer⚽️ (@PackWSoccer) November 13, 2022

Graduate defender Lulu Guttenberger, who played her final game for the Wolfpack, was optimistic about the future of the women’s soccer program despite the heartbreaking loss.

“This program is headed in the right direction,” Guttenberger said. “We made the NCAA Tournament six years in a row. Now it's time to take the next step.”

NC State’s captain played an integral part in the Pack’s six-year postseason run, and will no doubt go down as one of the most influential and important players of the program in recent memory.

“I would also say [to the fans], keep coming out,” Guttenberger said. “This team is great and they're going to go on to get better and they're going to gain experience, and next year is going to be fantastic. I'm ready to watch from afar.”

While NC State’s 2022 season has come to a close, more success is sure to be on the horizon with a young, talented and hungry team ready to compete in 2023 that’ll be sure to carry on the Pack’s postseason success.