Gameday: ECU Travels To No. 16 NC State

Game 3: ECU at No. 16 NC State
Date	Thursday, August 23
Time	7 p.m. (EDT)
Location	Raleigh, N.C. (Dail Soccer Field/Track Complex)
Information	Game Notes (PDF)
Coverage	Live Stats \| Watch
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUwsoccer Instagram: @ECUwsoccer Facebook: @ECUwsoccer

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU women's soccer team (1-0-1) will try to stay unbeaten when the Pirates travel to take on the NC State Wolfpack (2-0) Thursday night in Raleigh at the Dail Soccer Field/Track Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

"We have had success over the first two matches, but this is a whole different test than what we have seen up to this point," said head coach Jason Hamilton. "This will give us a great opportunity to see where we really are as a program and what we have inside of us."

The all-time series between the Pirates and the Wolfpack is even at 3-3-1. Last season, the two teams met in Raleigh and NC State left with a 2-1 win. It was the second consecutive win in the series for the Wolfpack after a 2-0 win in Greenville in 2016. ECU is 1-2-1 all-time in Raleigh, winning 1-0 in 2000 and tying 2-2 in 2009.

"Both teams like to play, so it should be a really enjoyable game for those watching," added Hamilton. "I'm excited for the game and the chance to compete against the best."

Under Hamilton, ECU has seen its offense start the year firing on all cylinders. After two games, the Pirates are tied for 23rd in the country in scoring offense In the season opener, the Pirates were forced to play down a player for 95 minutes after an early red card, but were still able to come from behind and tie Old Dominion 1-1. The Pirates controlled the second half, outshooting Old Dominion 9-4 in the period with Tori Riggs scoring in the 48th minute as well as Courtney Cash drawing a penalty kick in the 65th minute.

In the home opener and playing with 11 players for the full 90 minutes, the Pirate offense really took off. ECU hung four goals on Radford in the first half and never looked back en route to a 5-1 win. The four goals in the opening stanza were the most ECU has scored in a half since bagging five goals in the second half of a 5-0 win at Marshall on Oct. 6, 2006. The five goals for ECU are the most the Pirates have scored since hanging six on Francis Marion in a 6-0 win on Sept. 1, 2014 and the most at home since the 5-0 win at Marshall in 2006. It is the biggest win for ECU since beating Western Carolina 4-0 on Aug. 28, 2016.

NC State has opened its season with a pair of narrow wins. The Wolfpack opened the season with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Navy, as Tziarra King scored in the 69th and 73rd minutes to overturn a 1-0 deficit. In the home opener, Kristina Schuster scored in the 103rd minute for the Wolfpack to earn a 1-0 double overtime win over Monmouth. King leads NC State with five points after assisting Schuster's game-winner. In goal, Sydney Wootten has played all 192:24, allowing only one goal and making five saves.

"NC State has a very good program and Tim (Santoro) has done a fantastic job turning them into a national powerhouse." Hamilton said. "These are the type of games that will prepare us for our conference play. To go on the road and play an opponent who is not going to give you an inch is the best thing for us."

Fans can follow along with live stats here or stream the match here.

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Players Mentioned

Courtney Cash

Tori Riggs

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