Courtesy: NC State Gia Cipollini assisted on the game winning goal Friday against VCU
RALEIGH, N.C. – Not even the rain from Tropical Storm Hanna could slow down NC State All-ACC forward Lindsay Vera from scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Virginia Commonwealth in Friday’s second game of the NC State/Residence Inn North Women’s Soccer Tournament.
NC State (4-0) had a relatively quiet attack going in the first half with only a pair of shots towards net until Vera struck suddenly in the 39th minute with her fourth goal in the last two games.
The back line, which has anchored the Pack to allow only one goal thus far this season, once again figured in the scoring mix today when junior Gia Cipollini sent a lofting ball towards the VCU half of the field.
Goalkeeper Lauren Hardison came well outside the 18-yard box to break up the threat, but Vera snatched the ball away and was alone with the net to score her 22nd career tally.
VCU (0-3) nearly tied it up on a header by Francesca Gioeli in the final minute of the half but her attempt went wide left and the Wolfpack went into the intermission with the one goal lead.
The visiting Rams came out poised in the second half and had four corner kick chances in the first eight minutes, but the Pack defenders stood tall and did not allow a shot on any of those opportunities.
Later in the second half, with the rain drenching the field, VCU’s June Hartman wiggled free and headed towards net, but the Pack’s Alex Berger made a valiant block on the shot and the lead remained 1-0 through the 77th minute.
That pretty much foreshadowed the final 13 minutes of play as VCU put plenty of pressure in the Wolfpack zone with six shots in the final 13:40 of the match. However, freshman keeper Kim Kern held her ground to make three of her eight saves down the stretch to record her third clean sheet of the season.
The Wolfpack is off to its best start to a season since 2005 when that club also began with four victories.
NC State will take on Stetson on Sunday at 1 pm, while UNCG and VCU will face off at 3:30 pm in the final day of the tournament held at NC State Soccer Stadium.
Courtesy: NC State
