South Raleigh News

NC State's men's soccer team is set to face Marshall for the first time in a Sweet Sixteen match of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The game will take place at Hoops Family Field in Huntington, West Virginia, on Saturday, November 30, at 2 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live stats available on NCAA.com.

Despite an early exit from the ACC Championships against Virginia, NC State secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament due to their strong national rankings. Their victory over Charlotte marked their first NCAA win since 2018. A subsequent win against Georgetown brought their season total to ten victories, a milestone last achieved in 2018.

A win against Marshall would mark several achievements for NC State: it would be their 561st program win and head coach Marc Hubbard's 11th victory with the team. This match also represents the first meeting between NC State and Marshall.

During the regular season, NC State maintained a position in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for six weeks and was ranked as high as No. 12. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) had nine teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament this year.

Three NC State players received All-ACC honors: Taig Healy, Hakim Karamoko, and Niko Markovic. Healy was named to both the USL2 Team of the Year and TopDrawerSoccer's Top-100 Midseason Watch List. Karamoko led his team in goals and points this season while Markovic earned All-Freshman honors for his defensive contributions.

Marc Hubbard joined NC State as head coach after successful stints at New Hampshire and Southern New Hampshire University. Under his leadership, NC State has experienced its best start since 1992 and its strongest finish since 1994.