RALEIGH – Led by Donavan Phillip acquiring a hat trick in roughly five minutes, the 14th-ranked NC State men’s soccer team (2-0) dominated Wofford (0-1) by a 6-0 score on Sunday night.

Another large crowd with over 3,200 in attendance at Dail Soccer Stadium in Raleigh, NC State showed out in its second game of the season.

Numerous accomplishments were set across the board for the Wolfpack, beginning with Frankie DeFrancesco and Thomas Lamaille earning their first starting nods.

Junior midfielder Tyler Caton kicked things off with his first-ever collegiate goal in the 19th minute. A throw-in by Isaac Heffess deflected off his teammate’s knee and then was poked out by the defending team to prime a shot for Caton towards the top middle of the box.

Junior forward Donavan Phillip then began what would become his run of three straight goals in five minutes. The first hat trick for an NC State player since Conor Kelly in 2022, which was also against Wofford. He completed the trifecta of a hat trick, scoring one goal with his left foot, another with his right foot, and another with his head.

Later in the 33rd minute, Max Ogawa got in on the fun and also claimed his first goal as part of the Pack off a corner from Riley Moloney.

Phillip has now scored and Moloney has assisted in both games so far this season.

Moving to the second half, several freshmen players were able to log their first minutes on the college pitch, featuring Adam Abdouh on the back line and Isaac Busenze in the midfield. Among upperclassmen, Brendan Peeples and Austin Bush also made their first official debut for NC State. This crew was able to pressure Wofford into committing an own goal and raising the score to 6-0.

Up Next

The Wolfpack remains home to host FIU on Friday, August 29 at 6 p.m.

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