The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545830
42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN M arc Hubbard exuded a sense of confidence while sitting in his office inside NC State's Weisiger-Brown building in August 2024, just nine months removed from being hired by Wolfpack athletics director Boo Corrigan. H u b ba rd h a d t u r n e d s t r u g g l i n g teams into contenders at both Division II Southern New Hampshire and the University of New Hampshire earlier in his career. He guided the latter to seven NCAA Tournament appearances and four America East tourney titles in nine seasons. Winning was an expectation for Hub- bard, so the struggles that preceded his arrival in Raleigh didn't scare him. Instead, he had ambitions of not only competing in the ACC, college soccer's premier conference, but also becoming a force on the national level. Hubbard had seen the Wolfpack men's and women's basketball teams each go to the Final Four, while the women's cross country team had built a dynasty with three consecutive national championships from 2021-23, and the baseball team had gone to the 2024 Col- lege World Series. Hubbard didn't see any reason why his program couldn't do the same. "I think it was time to make a move to a program that I think could make a real difference right away in a depart- ment that really supports athletics and that can give its men's soccer program a chance to compete legitimately for na- tional championships every single year," Hubbard told The Wolfpacker, explain- ing his decision to leave New Hampshire for NC State. "You don't have to look far within the department to see other sports and their success. There's good reason to believe that men's soccer can do it as well." In the two seasons since he first laid out his vision, Hubbard has been proven right. The Pack went 10-5-5 and reached the Sweet 16 in his first cam- paign, and it bettered that performance last year by going 16-3-4 and making its first appearance in the national champi- onship game. Although NC State wasn't able to claim the title, falling 3-2 in overtime to Washington at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., the team still showed it had quickly developed a winning culture. With its warp-speed turnaround, the men's soccer squad is The Wolfpacker's Male Team of the Year for the 2025-26 athletics season. Hubbard and his staff turned a team that had missed four consecutive NCAA Tournaments before his arrival into a national contender. It was a quick yet intentional process. And while the vet- eran coach fully expected it, the execu- tion was impressive. Senior midfielder Taig Healy found immense joy in the undertaking. "It's special to be a part of the cul- ture," Healy said, "and to put the pro- gram back where it belongs." NC State boasted some of the top players in the nation, and they helped turn the tide. Star forward Donavan Phillip led the country with 19 goals and won the MAC Hermann Trophy, while standout defender Nikola Markovic later became the No. 1 overall pick by DC United in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft. While the team didn't reach its ultimate goal of lifting the NCAA champion- ship trophy in Cary, it set a new standard for what's to come in Ra- leigh on the soccer pitch. "We want to make men's soccer a prominent sport within the university and the ACC, the top soccer conference in the country," Hubbard said. "It's a school and a fan base that deserves that, and I think we're there. But it's not go- ing to get any easier for us. "I think when we take over a program and are rising, it's easier to change that culture quicker. When we get to the top and there's only a little bit more, that's the hardest piece because you have to continue to sustain it knowing that some of the guys had that success. Find- ing ways to hold these guys accountable to do the little work every single day that adds up into these moments to get back here is a big challenge." ■ 2025-26 YEAR IN REVIEW TEAMS OF THE YEAR MALE TEAM OF THE YEAR BEST FOOT FORWARD The Pack's Soccer Revival Continues With An NCAA Title-Game Appearance Forward Donavan Phillip scored 19 goals to lead Division I and won the MAC Hermann Trophy, which goes to the nation's top player. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS