PHILADELPHIA – After an impressive opening weekend that consisted of a pair of shutout victories, the University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team will face its toughest test of the young season as 13th-ranked North Carolina State visits Rhodes Field on Friday evening.

MATCH DAY 3 – Penn (2-0-0) vs. North Carolina State (3-0-1)
Friday, August 31, 2018 | 5 p.m. | Rhodes Field | Live Stats | Video

Series Information
Records: Penn leads 1-0 | Last meeting: 2005 (Penn, 1-0)

When the Wolfpack arrive in University City on Friday, it will mark just the second meeting between Penn and North Carolina State with the first coming in 2005. In that initial meeting, the Quakers defended home turf with a 1-0 triumph on their way to finishing 8-6-3.

N.C. State takes on an Ivy League opponent for just the fifth time since 2000, and is still looking for its first win during that stretch (0-3-1). In that same span, the Wolfpack is 3-2 battling the Philadelphia Soccer Six.

Second Half Scoring
The Quakers have thrived in the latter 45 minutes of games, tallying all six of their goals after the halftime break. Against Mount St. Mary's in the season opener, Sasha Stephens pushed Penn ahead in the 60th minute before Paige Howard, Kelsey
Andrews and Breukelen Woodard combined to add four more goals in the final 10 minutes to secure a 5-0 win.

On Sunday against Army West Point, Penn again raised its level of play in the second half and earned the lone goal of the game in the 63rd minute – a penalty kick from Emily Sands – to stay undefeated.

Strength vs. Strength
Penn is one of just 15 teams in the country that has yet to concede a goal, putting together 180 minutes of shutout soccer. Furthermore, the Quaker defense has taken on just eight shots through two games. The center back pairing of Camillia Nwokedi and Chase Geffert, along with Allie Trzaska and Megan Lloyd at the holding mid spots, have locked down the center of the field and swept up any trouble. On the outside, Jadyn Wilensky and Katharine Larson have defended well in one-on-one situations, in addition to getting forward in attack. Behind them, Penn boasts the 2017 first-team All-Ivy keeper in Kitty Qu.

On the flip side, the Wolfpack have unleashed 70 shots in just four games, good for 26th in the nation. The quantity of shots has yielded just six goals, but N.C. State has created loads of chances, something Penn has not allowed much of. The Wolfpack is highlighted by MAC Hermann Trophy contender Tziarra King, who leads the team in goals (3), assists (2) and points (8).

Previewing the Wolfpack
N.C. State enters Philadelphia unbeaten at 3-0-1, and have scraped and clawed for each result. Each of its wins have come by a single goal, kick started by a 2-1 defeat of Navy on the road. The Wolfpack came home for the next three games, earning wins over Monmouth in double overtime and No. 10 South Carolina. The contests with Monmouth and South Carolina sandwiched a 1-1 draw with East Carolina.

Three players have scored, led by King's three goals. She, along with midfielder Ricci Walkling, were featured in the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Players to Watch List earlier this month. Fellow junior Kia Rankin has tallied five points, with a pair of goals, including the match winner over the Gamecocks.

N.C. State finished 15-5-2 last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling in penalty kicks to Princeton.