North Carolina State entered the 2026 season with a No. 2 preseason poll and opened against Coastal Carolina, only to walk away with a 0‑0 stalemate after a match that featured 20 attempts but no shots on target.
Coastal Carolina goalkeeper Will Divine turned in a series of spectacular saves that kept the Wolfpack at bay, while head coach Marc Hubbard lamented that his side kept shooting too high and wide, failing to put the ball low into traffic where it could have caused trouble.
The game also revealed chemistry challenges; besides the two returning players from the previous NCAA championship run, junior forward Frankie DeFrancesco was shown a red card in the box that was later reduced to a yellow, and the team struggled to gel early on.
Sophomore forward Russell Berko made his debut after a stint at Division II Mississippi College and a previous spell at Coastal Carolina, showing flashes of promise before missing a key chance in the 80th minute, while senior defender Josh Gordon, in his first appearance after three years at Kentucky, snuffed out several attacking moves for the opposition.
With a road trip to Florida on the horizon, the Wolfpack hope the extra training time will tighten their chemistry before they host Queens on August 23 at 5 p.m., aiming to convert the volume of chances they create into goals.