NC State Advances to First-Ever NCAA National Championship Match with 2–1 Win Over Saint Louis
- Jonathan Turner
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CARY, N.C. – No. 15 NC State men’s soccer punched its ticket to the NCAA National Championship match for the first time in program history, defeating Saint Louis 2–1 on Friday night at First Horizon Stadium.
A crowd of nearly 11,000 fans packed the venue—marking the largest College Cup attendance since 2012 and the biggest turnout ever recorded for the tournament in Cary.
The Wolfpack, now 16-2-4, continues its historic run with the program’s highest win total since 1990, the last season the Pack reached the College Cup.
Match Recap
Senior midfielder Carlos Santamaria stepped into the starting lineup, filling the defensive midfield role for Tyler Caton and logging 77 strong minutes.
NC State dominated the opening half with an 8–0 shot advantage, but the breakthrough didn’t come until after halftime.
The Pack appeared poised to grab the lead in the 61st minute following a Saint Louis handball in the box, but Drew Lovelace’s penalty attempt was saved by goalkeeper Jeremmi Abonnel—his fourth penalty save in five attempts this season.
NC State finally broke through in the 69th minute. Calem Tommy initiated the sequence, finding Isaac Heffess on the left side. Heffess delivered a pinpoint cross into the area, where Donavan Phillip headed home his 18th goal of the season, tying him for the national lead. Phillip now owns the most single-season goals by a Wolfpack player since Roy Lassiter (1991).
Senior midfielder Taig Healy extended his postseason surge with a goal in his third straight match—remarkable considering he has only four goals on the season, with three coming in NCAA Tournament play.
Saint Louis pulled one back in the 81st minute after a foul and yellow card on Heffess resulted in a Billikens penalty conversion. NC State held firm in the final nine minutes to secure its spot in Monday’s championship match.
Up Next
No. 15 NC State will meet the Washington Huskies in the 2025 NCAA National Championship match on Monday at 7 p.m. The match will air live on ESPNU.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
Comments