RALEIGH, N.C. – Nathan Messer scored on a second-half rebound and the defense, led by goalkeeper Connor Andrews, pitched a shutout as William & Mary men's soccer knocked off ACC foe NC State, 1-0, at Dail Soccer Stadium on Tuesday night.
 
The Tribe (5-6) recorded its second-straight shutout and all five W&M wins this season have come via clean sheets. W&M picked up its first win at NC State (6-6-2) in four tries and knocked off an ACC opponent for the seventh time in the last 11 years. Tuesday night's win was the program's first ACC road wins since 2014 when it won at Pittsburgh and No. 1 North Carolina.
 
Andrews highlighted the Tribe's defensive effort with a career-high eight saves. He tallied five in the second half in recording his third shutout of the season and fourth of his career.
 
The Tribe broke through for the winner in the 55th minute. Messer laid the ball off to junior Diba Nwegbo 20 yards from goal. Nwegbo sent a rocket off the left post that bounced back into play right to Messer, who finished into the upper 90 from 12 yards out for the game's lone goal.  
 
W&M nearly extended its lead in the 72nd minute. Messer sent a nice ball to the left side of the pitch, and junior Alexander Levengood and senior John Eberle combined at the top of the penalty area. Levengood's bending shot to the far post was pushed wide by NC State goalkeeper Leon Krapf.
 
NC State threw numbers forward and pushed for the equalizer in the late stages of the second half. Andrews made two big saves in the 78th and 82nd minutes. On the first of those, he pushed a Pepe Garcia shot from distance over the bar. Four minutes later, Andrews punched a Yaniv Bazini rocket from 25 yards out wide to keep the Wolfpack off the board.
 
The Wolfpack's best opportunity of the night came in the 87th as W&M was whistled for a foul in the box, resulting in an NC State penalty kick. Andrews chose correctly diving to his right, but Kuda Muskwe sent the spot kick high and ringing off the crossbar. The Tribe defense was able to clear away the rebound and hold on for the victory.
 
Andrews, who made a trio of saves in the opening 45 minutes, denied a pair of Henrique Santos chances in the 26th and 51st minutes. The latter opportunity came as Noe Cabezas played a diagonal ball into the left side of the area to set Santos free, but Andrews stoned his shot to keep the game scoreless
 
NC State Starters – #1 Krapf (GK), #2 Pedregosa, #3 Gracia, #6 Edwards, #7 Brisma, #8 Sweeney, #9 Muskwe, #10 Seals, #11 Cabezas, #16 Bazini, #24 Murray
 
W&M Starters – #26 Andrews (GK), #3 Donynath, #6 Bozalongo, #7 Levengood, #8 Villeda, #9 Nwegbo, #11 Messer, #13 Crocco, #14 Knapp, #19 Hosseinian, #23 Core
 
Scoring Summary
55' | W&M – Nathan Messer (Diba Nwegbo)
 
Inside the Numbers
- NC State held a 24-4 advantage in shots, placing eight on goal compared to two for W&M.
- The Wolfpack attempted 12 corner kicks on the evening.
- Nwegbo led the Tribe with two shots.
 
Notes
Messer tallied his third goal of the season and the fourth of his career … Three of Messer's four career goals have been game-winners, including two this seaosn … Nwegbo recorded his team-leading third assist and is tied for the team lead with Levengood in points (11), goals (4) and assists (3) … It marked Nwegbo's eighth career assist … Andrews tallied a career-high eight saves in recording his third shutout of the season … W&M picked up its first road win over an ACC opponent since knocking off Pittsburgh and No. 1 North Carolina in 2014 … Tuesday's win marked the Tribe's seventh over the ACC in the last 11 years and its first in four tries at NC State.
 
Up Next
The Tribe returns to CAA play when it travels to Delaware on Sunday, Oct. 24. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Stuart & Suzanne Grant Stadium in Newark. The contest will be streamed on FloFC.