The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1419104
TRACKING THE PACK 12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER wolfpacker spotlight JAMEESE JOSEPH Women's Soccer After a 4-1-2 start to the season, the meat of the Wolfpack schedule arrived with a stretch of six straight games against top competition from Sept. 12-Oct. 7. Five of the foes were ranked among the nation's top 20 — with an average listing of 11.2 — while the other was re- ceiving votes in the national polls. NC State opened that span with five straight losses — all by 2-1 or 1-0 scores — but finally broke through against its toughest oppo- nent, with a 2-1 double-overtime victory over No. 4 Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham Oct. 7. Sophomore forward Jameese Joseph broke the 1-1 deadlock with 19 seconds left in the final overtime period to give the Pack its first conference victory of the campaign and its first top-five win since 2002. It also stood as the squad's first triumph since 2000 over the powerhouse program that has won at least one NCAA Tournament contest in six straight seasons. James followed that up by scoring the Pack's first goal in a 2-1 win over Louisville three days later. Those two performances combined to earn her the ACC Offensive Player of the Week award, plus a spot on TopDrawerSoccer's National Team of the Week. The most recent marker was James' team-leading sixth goal of the fall. Her six goals on the year tied for 13th in the ACC as of Oct. 11, but they don't get any bigger than a golden goal that clinches a historic win over a league rival and sets off a storming of the field by her teammates. — Ryan Tice/Photo Courtesy NC State Athletics