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Despite Heartbreaking Finish, Taig Healy Cements NC State Legacy

The Wolfpack's star midfielder kept his team in the fight with a late equalizer in the National Championship, but NC State fell just short of hoisting the trophy.
Tucker Sennett|
Dec 12, 2025; Cary, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack midfielder Taig Healy (10) reacts after scoring a goal as defender Isaac Heffess (18) is in the background in the second half at First Horizon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Dec 12, 2025; Cary, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack midfielder Taig Healy (10) reacts after scoring a goal as defender Isaac Heffess (18) is in the background in the second half at First Horizon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

CARY, N.C. — The Wolfpack stood at midfield, helpless as officials reviewed Washington's would-be National Championship-sealing goal in extra time. NC State made a miraculous comeback in the College Cup Final, but when the review finally ended, the Pack's run through the College Cup came to a heartbreaking end.

For some members of the Wolfpack roster, the loss should fuel the future. However, senior midfielder Taig Healy played his final game in an NC State uniform and represented the program about as well as anyone else could. Healy had nothing to hang his head over and embodied his coach, Marc Hubbard, by walking away with class and leaving the program in a better place than he found it.

Healy heroics nearly won the title

Taig Heal
Dec 12, 2025; Cary, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack midfielder Taig Healy (10) takes a shot on goal as midfielder Justin McLean (8) is in the background in the first half at First Horizon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

NC State found itself in an unfamiliar position after Washington took a 2-0 advantage in the first hour of the game. The Wolfpack rarely played from behind throughout the season hadn't at any point of the NCAA Tournament. There was little doubt Hubbard's group would roll over and the energy of his star midfielder kept the Pack in the fight.

"After they scored the second goal, we brought it together in the middle of the field... There's plenty of time left, trying to keep our heads," forward Donavan Phillip said. "We had nothing to lose at this point, just go full out for it."

Phillip spearheaded the comeback at first, but Healy flew around the field, impacting the game offensively and defensively. A goal from Phillip in the 65th minute cut the deficit in half, but it was Healy who equalized the game. Defender Calem Tommy and midfielder Justin McLean strung together a pair of passes just outside of the penalty area before McLean dumped it off to Healy.

The veteran midfielder scored three goals in three tournament games for the Wolfpack, leading up to the Washington matchup. He added a fourth when the ball from McLean landed at his feet and he fired a shot toward the right side of the goal just beyond Washington goalkeeper Jadon Bowton. Healy had his signature moment in a Wolfpack uniform, bringing the Pack back from the jaws of defeat.

An enormous impact

Healy used the time during the review after Washington's extra time goal to take in the atmosphere. NC State fans filled First Horizon Stadium to the brim, with a likely 9,000 of the 10,316 fans in attendance wearing red and repping the Wolfpack. It was an incredible moment for a program that fell to significant lows before the arrivals of Hubbard and Healy from New Hampshire.

"Just looking at the 10 other guys in the huddle and (Hubbard), just looking around the stadium knowing it was probably over... I was so proud of every single one of us," Healy said. "Most special team I've been a part of, so just a moment to soak it all in."

Healy
Dec 12, 2025; Cary, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack midfielder Taig Healy (10) reacts after scoring as Saint Louis Billikens midfielder Carlos Leatherman (2) is in the background in the second half at First Horizon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Healy and Hubbard arrived in Raleigh as a package deal, as the latter accepted the head coaching position at NC State in December 2023. His midfielder from New Hampshire was on the fence about joining him, but ended up taking the leap and joining the Wolfpack.

"It was a tough transition," Healy said. "I had never left New Hampshire before, but I made the decision really quick because... I trusted (Hubbard), knowing the system and how he wants to play, knowing the culture he built with teams. That's really important... I wanted it to be the same here."

Having spent so much time together, Hubbard watched as Healy went from a 16-year-old recruit trying to do too much to a dominant midfielder and recipient of All-ACC honors in their final season together.

"I was lucky enough with Taig to know the family and to know what his deficiencies were as a player and person and to be able to openly say that during the recruiting process," Hubbard said. "... He's always been a really talented player, but some of the other things that he's needed to work on, he's done a really good job on and that's impacted his ability to be impactful in these moments."

While his career with the Pack ended in disappointment on a bone-chilling night in Cary, Healy's impact will live on with the Wolfpack for years to come. He represents a critical building block in what Hubbard built in just two seasons as the alpha of the Pack.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.

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