Why NC State men’s soccer leads the nation in shutouts going into College Cup appearance

Logan Erb left his first season at NC State not entirely pleased with how it went. He posted a 1.05 goals against average with a save percentage of .745 as he split the starting time with senior Enzo Carvalho. It was a solid year, but not one that Erb was thrilled with. 

In all honesty, he felt as if he had plenty to improve. Not only did Erb want to reduce the number of foals allowed, but he seemed to desire taking control of the Wolfpack’s starting job on the goal line to anchor the team’s defense in his final season of collegiate eligibility. 

“I knew that there was more to give and I hold myself to an incredibly high standard,” Erb said this week. “I told [coach Marc Hubbard] I’d be the hardest worker on the field, I’d watch the most film and I’d do everything in my power to be what this program needs.”

It wasn’t just talk. Erb backed up what he envisioned doing, and his “exponential strides” have paid dividends for the Pack this fall. The stout goalie has led NC State’s shutdown defense to a nation-leading 15 shutouts with his .847 save percentage, which ranks fifth in all of Division I, as the Wolfpack prepares to play in its second-ever College Cup against Saint Louis on Friday night (8:30 p.m., ESPNU) in Cary. 

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound goalkeeper has hit his stride in the NCAA Tournament. He’s been a brick wall for the Wolfpack, recorded 11 total saves as he logged a pair of shutouts to open the team’s run to the College Cup, while he posted a second-half clean sheet after allowing two first-half goals in NC State’s 3-2 win at Georgetown in the Elite Eight this past weekend. 

While Erb gets most of the public credit for the Wolfpack’s ability to keep teams off the scoreboard at a consistent clip, he’s quick to point to the back line of defenders that operate in front of him each night. 

Sophomore defender Nikola Markovic, who was named the ACC’s Defender of the Year in just his second collegiate season, has been the engine of the Wolfpack’s back line. He uses his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame to his advantage as he can work attackers off the ball to win possession back before feeding the Wolfpack’s dangerous attack in transition. 

Although Hubbard, the second-year coach that flipped the Pack program from missing the NCAA Tournament for four straight seasons to back-to-back deep postseason runs, would like his possession-based offense that fires off shots left and right to take pressure off the defense each night, he knows the defenders are there to make the play, when needed.

“We pride ourselves on building and attacking, but in the same vein, there’s been plenty of opportunities this year where we’ve laid our bodies on the line where they made game-saving blocks and the little sacrifices that go into preserving shutouts, even when we’re up 3-0,” Hubbard said. “I think that’s the mentality for us: To shut out every team we play.”

Markovic agreed.

“From the start of the year, it was a goal we put in place,” the Gatineau, Quebec, native said. “We work so hard defensively, we might as well try to get a clean sheet record. Every game it was a part of our goals, something we wanted to achieve. I think we’ve achieved it pretty well.”

NC State opened the season with nine straight shutouts to become the last team in Division I to concede its first goal, which arrived in the 12th minute at Pitt on Sept. 26. While the Pack has become a stout defensive team that prides itself on keeping opposing attackers at bay, its 3-0 loss to Syracuse in the ACC Tournament served as a learning lesson. 

The Wolfpack didn’t have the response it wanted as the Orange consistently found the back of the net, which led to a much-earlier exit from the league tournament than expected. Although it felt like the “end of the season” to NC State, it was able to understand that it doesn’t need to panic if the other team finds the back of the net. After all, the Pack has one of the nation’s top scoring offenses with the best goal differential in the nation (+37, 47 goals for, nine against).

It proved to be true at Georgetown. NC State opened up a quick 2-0 lead, but the Hoyas didn’t go away quietly on their home field. By halftime, the Wolfpack was clinging to a 3-2 lead, but it anchored down on the defensive side of the ball and pitched a 45-minute shutout to keep marching towards the program’s first-ever national championship. 

That progress was critical for the Wolfpack, especially at this stage of the season. Now, the team is just two wins away from hoisting a trophy just under six miles away from its home pitch in Raleigh. If it is going to break through this weekend, the Pack’s defense will be a critical reason why. 

And Erb, the goalie that strived to improve his play from last season to this year, is primed for another quality showing in net after earning the ACC’s Goalkeeper of the Year award. 

“He’s fearless. I think, in that position, you can’t be second-guessing yourself — you’ve got to be confident,” Hubbard said. “When you look at last year versus this year, I think his belief in himself and his assurance of everything that he’s doing is right is extending to his play on the field.”

NC State hangs its hat on being a well-rounded team, and so far, the Wolfpack’s defense has risen to the occasion just as its offense has lit up the scoreboard. That’s exactly how Hubbard and the rest of the staff likes it going into the program’s biggest match in 35 years.