The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1153250
82 ■ THE WOLFPACKER which she missed with an injury. She is a two-time All-ACC choice. That's no small accomplishment accord- ing to Santoro, who noted that the U.S. National Team's head coach Jill Ellis, a former NC State assistant coach, could have looked to the conference had she not chosen to go with an older squad in win- ning a second straight World Cup. "Had she picked a younger team like some of the other countries did there are three to four players in this league that could have played," Santoro insisted. "That's what our league is about. We have really high-level soccer." King leads the attack, and Santoro is hopeful that Blackwood can return from an injury by midseason to add a jolt to the at- tack. He is also high on a pair of freshmen at forward in Jameese Joseph and Leyah Hall-Robinson, noting they have the poten- tial "to have a very big impact." The midfield is NC State's deepest posi- tion according to the coach. Griffiths has started all but one match in her career, and sophomore Anna Toohey scored three goals in 20 games a season ago. Redshirt junior Michaella van Maanen, a part of that 2016 class, returned from missing the 2017 sea- son with an injury with two goals and two assists last fall. The return of redshirt sophomore Lulu Guttenberger is a huge boost to the defend- ers. She was a member of the ACC All- Freshman Team in 2017, but missed all but two games last year with an injury. Santoro said that Guttenberger can be as good as any center back in the country. "Lulu is the wild card. If we can keep her healthy she's right up there with Ricci and Z with her level of play," he added. Rankin, who scored five goals and had four assists last year, moved to defender to alleviate the loss of top defender Han- nah Keogh to graduation. NC State also returns Schuster, who has started all but four matches in her career. There is one sizeable question mark Senior midfielder Ricci Walkling needs just one assist to crack the all-time top 10 at NC State. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS ■ By The Numbers 17 Points needed by senior forward/midfielder Tziarra King to become just the fifth NC State player to reach 100 for her career. With 24 points, King would settle into third all time behind Charmaine Hooper (145 points from 1987-90) and Laura Kerrigan (135 from 1985-88). 24 Career assists by Hannah Keogh, who was a se- nior defender in 2018. Keogh finished seventh in school history in that category. 14 ACC wins in the past three seasons under head coach Tim Santoro, with 11 losses and three ties. NCSU had 15 conference victories in the nine sea- sons combined prior to Santoro's arrival in 2013. Three Players To Watch Senior midfielder Tziarra King The Sicklerville, N.J., native has been rated among the top 50 players in the country each of the past three seasons by TopDrawerSoccer.com (No. 28, No. 26 and No. 47). Last fall, she netted a team-high 10 goals and 26 total points, while her six assists tied for third on the squad. She was tied for third in the ACC in goals scored and fourth in total points. Redshirt sophomore defender Lulu Guttenberger The Velburg, Germany, native had a strong debut at NC State in 2017, but she was limited to just two games with an injury last year. Head coach Tim Santoro described Guttenberger as a game-changer when healthy, calling her "one of our best players." Senior midfielder Ricci Walkling Despite missing three games last year, the native of Obergriesbach, Germany, was tied for eighth in the ACC with seven assists and added two goals. The two-time All-ACC selection was named one of the top 100 players in the country (No. 64) last season by TopDrawerSoccer.com.