The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/368728
60 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL T he NC State women's soccer team welcomes back eight of 11 starters and adds a good group of newcom- ers for second-year head coach Tim Santoro. The Wolfpack went 7-12 overall and 2-11 in the loaded ACC en route to finish- ing with an RPI of 103 — an improvement of 85 spots from the previous season. The ACC preseason poll, which was voted upon by league coaches, is projecting NC State to finish 13th for the second straight year. Santoro already knows the program is in better shape moving forward after his ini- tial season. "They are a lot more familiar with me and I'm more familiar with my personnel," Santoro said. "We are integrating some new players with a couple of transfers and some freshmen. Just having a year under our belt, it has been an easier preseason." NC State faces eight opponents this season that were ranked in the preseason top 25. Santoro knows there is still work to be done to keep climbing in such a com- petitive conference. "We are still a ways away from where we need to be in rebuilding this thing, but we are better than we were 365 days ago," Santoro said. Another area where Santoro has seen significant progress is in the players' strength and conditioning. "We are a fitter team because they came into the season knowing what my expecta- tions are," Santoro said. "They know the expectations have been raised." NCSU returns both goalies that played last year in redshirt sophomore Mackenzie Stelljes and sophomore Karly Gustafson. Stelljes had a 5-10 record with 1.69 goals- against average and .761 save percentage in 16 appearances last year. Three of her wins were shutouts. Gustafson was 2-2 with a 2.61 goals-against average and a .688 save percentage. "Mackenzie is fitter and more prepared, and has a season under her belt in the ACC, which is big," Santoro said. "We just need to keep her healthy and have a good year with her." NC State, which was 4-6 in games de- cided by one goal in 2013, returns its top three scorers from a year ago. Sopho- more forward Jackie Stengel earned third- team All-ACC honors and a spot on the league's All-Freshman squad after scoring nine goals and recording one assist for 19 points. Junior forward Brittany Stanko tallied five goals and two assists for 12 points, and junior forward Caroline Gentry fin- ished with 10 points (four goals and two assists). Gentry is the younger sister of former NCSU football players Taylor and Zach Gentry. Freshman forward Kayla Saager has good height at 5-10 and a scoring disposi- ■ PREVIEW WOMEN'S SOCCER ■ Key Games To Watch Sept. 21, at Wake Forest — NC State closed last year with a 2‑1 upset of the Demon Deacons, who were ranked No. 23 in the country at the time. Wake Forest, where NC State head coach Tim Santoro was an assistant coach, enters the season ranked No. 21 in the country. The match will be the Wolfpack's ACC opener. Sept. 28, vs. North Carolina — The rivalry game against the top‑ranked Tar Heels takes place in Raleigh this season, and will be on ESPN3.com (one of four matches on the website). UNC is ranked preseason No. 4 in the country, and is one of four ranked teams that will play at Dail Soccer Field this season. Oct. 26, vs. Florida State — The Seminoles are ranked No. 2 in the country and the match will be played on ESPN3.com. FSU is the preseason choice to win the ACC with Virginia second and North Carolina third. Heading in THe RigHT diRecTion Second-Year Coach Tim Santoro Sees Progress In Youthful Wolfpack Forward Jackie Stengel tallied a team-high nine goals and 19 points en route to third-team All- ACC honors and a spot on the league's All-Freshman squad last year. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP