RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State men’s soccer (1-1-2, 0-0-0 ACC) returns to Dail Soccer Field for its ACC opener against Virginia Tech (2-1-0, 0-0-0 ACC) on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m.
The match will be streamed live here on ACCNX and live stats will be available here on StatBroadcast.
A win on Saturday would…
Be the 578th win in program history (577-494-122)
Be the 260th win in Hubbard’s head coaching career (259-60-48)
Be Hubbard’s 28th victory at NC State (27-8-11)
Be the 12th win over Virginia Tech (11-9-1)
Series History…
Saturday marks the 21st meeting between NC State and Virginia Tech.
NC State leads the series 11-9-1.
The last time these teams met was in Blacksburg, VA in October 2024.
During the most recent match up, the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Quick Notes…
The Wolfpack enters the season ranked No. 2 nationally, dropped to No. 20 following the first two games of the season and has fell out of the rankings following the second week of the season.
NC State was the preseason ACC favorite, earning eight first-place votes.
The ACC currently has four teams ranked nationally in the top-25 according to the United Soccer Coaches Poll (No. 1 Stanford, No. 3 SMU, No. 18 Clemson and No. 22 Louisville)
Welcome to The 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.
In four matches he has played 204 minutes and has had eight shots with three on goal.
He scored his first goal since Sept. 10, 2024 against FAU on Aug. 30, 2026.
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 has earned a starting nod in every match so far this season, playing the full 90 minutes in each match. He currently serves as the team’s starting captain.
Through four matches, Caton has recorded eight shots and scored the first goal of the season in game two against Queens.
The Pack on the Big Screen…
NC State will appear on national television twice during the 2026 regular season.
Friday, September 18th at SMU (9 p.m. ET)
Friday, September 25th at home versus Wake Forest (7 p.m. ET)
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