RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 20 NC State men’s soccer will hit the road to continue its season campaign, playing at Florida International in Miami, Florida. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Leyva Family Field.
It will be streamed live here on ESPN+. Live stats are available here on StatBroadcast.
A win on Sunday would…
Be the 578th win in program history (577-493-121)
Be the 260th win in Hubbard’s head coaching career (259-59-47)
Be Hubbard’s 28th victory at NC State (27-7-10)
Be the second win over FIU (1-0-0)
Series History…
Thursday marks the second meeting between NC State and FIU.
NC State leads the series 1-0.
The last time these teams met was in Raleigh, N.C. in August, 2025.
During the most recent match-up, NC State won 1-0.
Welcome to Dail Soccer Field…
Cruz is Back…
After not playing during the 2025 season due to recovering from an injury, senior Ervin Cruz earned a starting nod in the first two matches of the season.
Against Coastal Carolina, he played for 60 minutes and recorded two shots. Against Queens, Cruz played for 65 minutes, recording four shots with one on goal.
O Captain, My Captain…
During the 2025 season, Tyler Caton played and started in 20 out of 23 games in midfield. However, an injury kept him from competing in the College Cup
Caton is now back and earned a starting nod in the first two matches of the season. He played the full 90 minutes in both contests and serves as the team’s starting captain.
Through two matches, Caton has recorded seven shots and scored the first goal of the season in game two against Queens.
Quick Notes…
The Wolfpack enters the season ranked No. 2 nationally and has dropped to No. 20 following the first two games of the season.
NC State was the preseason ACC favorite, earning eight first-place votes.
Including the Wolfpack, the ACC currently has five teams ranked nationally in the top-25 according to the United Soccer Coaches Poll (No. 1, Stanford, No. 5 SMU, No. 16 Clemson, No. 19 Duke and No. 20 NC State)
The 2026 Squad…
The full breakdown of NC State’s 2026 squad includes 15 returners and 18 newcomers (8 freshmen and 10 transfers).
NC State returns four players who started 10+ games during the 2025 season: Riley Moloney (23 starts), Tyler Caton (20 starts), Drew Lovelace (17 starts) and Francis DeFrancesco (11 starts).
Six returners on this year’s roster earned at least one starting nod in 2025. 11 of the 15 returners made an appearance on the pitch last year.
@PackMensSoccer || #PerformanceOverPressure