Pilots eliminate Wolfpack men in NCAA soccer

RALEIGH -- The N.C. State men's soccer team had its chances.

But it rarely had momentum.

The University of Portland seized control early and left Dail Soccer Field with a 2-1 victory over N.C. State in the second round of the NCAA Soccer Championship.

At 1:03 into the match, Portland senior Drew Chrostek scored his first collegiate goal. On Jared vanSchaik's corner kick from the right side, Chrostek was at the top of the box to chip the ball into the top left corner of the goal.

"We came out a little slow," Wolfpack forward Ronnie Bouemboue said. "They caught us sleeping. They got an opportunity, and they put it away early."

N.C. State (13-7-2) outshot Portland 15-6 in the game, had several good opportunities in each half and controlled the ball the majority of the time. But that first quick goal left the Pack in a compromising position.

"We tried everything we could," N.C. State coach George Tarantini said. "We moved everything around. ... They took us by surprise."

In the first half, among other opportunities, there were the two quick shots from Wolfpack midfielder Akil DeFreitas, both saved by Portland goalie Justin Baarts, who finished with three saves.

"I had just got into the game, so it was kind of difficult to score right away," DeFreitas said, adding that he was excited. "As the game went on, I calmed down."

N.C. State finally scored at 55:23, when defenseman Chrystel Bakong found DeFreitas wide open on the left side. DeFreitas kicked the ball high and into the upper right corner for a 1-1 tie.

But less than five minutes later, Portland forward Ryan Luke, who had been engaged in an intensely physical battle with Wolfpack defender Romulo Manzano, took the lead back, scoring on a cross in front of the net from Collen Warner, who was on the wing.

"I think the center back was just a half step late getting in, so I got in front of him and had that chance to put it away," Luke said.

And just like that, Portland had stolen back momentum.

"That's where it comes down to staying focused for the whole 90 minutes," Bouemboue said. "They did what they had to keep the ball out of the net."

That included a stellar performance from Baarts, a freshman, who deflected a high shot that would have been a goal by Wolfpack defender Lucas Carpenter, a former Apex High standout.

The unranked Pilots (12-5-5) had a whirlwind of a weekend, traveling to high altitudes in New Mexico and winning in overtime Thursday. They lost their starting goalie, junior Austin Guerrero, who took a red card early in overtime, and had to fly across to the country to face a high-scoring, nationally ranked opponent, N.C. State, which had a first-round bye as the 15th seed.

But Portland's regular-season schedule included plenty of road games, including one at Vermont.

"We were prepared," Chrostek said.

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