WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William and Mary men's soccer lost a heartbreaking match in the 108th minute when North Carolina State's Holden Fender scored off of a free kick, winning the game 2-1 for the Wolfpack.
W&M drops to 1-2-0 on the young season, while the Wolfpack improves a perfect 3-0-0.
The first period was a battle for possession for both teams. NC State fired three shots in the frame to William and Mary's one, but the half ended in a scoreless tie.
N.C. State opened the second half with a three shot fury. In the 48th minute, Danny Prima fired on target, but sophomore goalkeeper Mac Phillips made the save. However, the rebound deflected to Nick Surkamp who had an open net, but senior Roshan Patel hustled back to kick it out of bounds, earning the team save. On the ensuing corner kick, Nazmi Albadawi had a shot, but it sailed high ending the Wolfpack threat.
William and Mary began to pick up the pressure about 20 minutes later. In the 64th minute Patel had a chance, but NC State goalkeeper Fabian Otte made the save.
The Tribe continued to pressure and in the 66th minute tallied the match's first goal. Sophomore Chris Albiston threw the ball in to classmate Jackson Eskay, who made a spin move into the box, and fired the ball into the upper right corner of the net, giving the Tribe a 1-0 lead. The goal was the second of the season for Eskay and also the second assist of the season for Albiston.
State's answer came quickly. Just 25 seconds later, Gbenga Makinde found Alex Martinez open the box. Martinez cleared some space and the launched the ball off of the post, deflecting into the net. The tally tied the match 1-1.
The Wolfpack continued to pressure after their goal, but the Green and Gold's back line along with Phillips held strong. N.C. State fired 10 shots after the goal, but none found the back and the match went to overtime.
In the first overtime, the Wolfpack controlled the pace of play, firing the period's only six shots. Again the Tribe's defense and Phillips came up strong, with Phillips making three saves on the chances that came on frame.
William and Mary had the first chance of the overtime, when Eskay fired a shot, that sailed just high.
Following a W&M foul, Fender lined up for a free kick for the Wolfpack from about 28 yards out. Fender decided to take the shot and was able to slide it into the lower right corner of the net. The goal lifted N.C. State to 2-1 victory.
The Wolfpack outshot the Tribe 28-10, including a 13-2 advantage in shots on goal. Phillips recorded a career-high eight saves, while the Green and Gold's back line came up with a season-high three team saves.
William and Mary returns to action this weekend in the Stihl Soccer Classic hosted by Old Dominion. The Green and Gold open the tournament on Friday, Sept. 13 against Central Florida at 4:30 p.m. W&M concludes the event squaring off with No. 1 Creighton on Sunday, Sept. 15 at noon.
