Donavan Phillip's Tournament Turnaround Crucial for NC State

CARY, N.C. — When he decided to return to NC State for his junior season, forward Donavan Phillip likely knew the 2025 edition of Wolfpack men's soccer was going to be a special group under head coach Marc Hubbard.

Months after making that decision, Phillip and the Wolfpack need just 90 minutes of quality play to hoist a National Championship trophy. A win over Washington in the College Cup final would mark the first championship for a men's team sport since Jim Valvano led NC State men's basketball to a title in 1983. Without Phillip, none of that would be possible.

A dominant run

Dec 12, 2025; Cary, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Donavan Phillip (7) with the ball as Saint Louis Billikens defender JC Cortez (5) and midfielder Drake Fournier (19) defend in the second half at First Horizon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In NC State's first 13 games, Phillip scored 14 goals, rising on the national scoring leaderboard and establishing himself as one of college soccer's premier forwards. However, the opposition began to adjust throughout league play, taking away the star's opportunities to score. He went scoreless in four straight games, the longest streak of the 2025 season. NC State went 1-1-2 in that stretch.

Phillip and the Wolfpack exited the ACC Tournament earlier than expected with a loss to Syracuse in the quarterfinal, but used that as fuel for the NCAA Tournament. Phillip regained his confidence after the loss, scoring three goals in the first four games of the Tournament, including one in the 2-1 victory over Saint Louis to secure a spot in the College Cup final.

THAT MAN DONOVAN PHILLIP PUTS THE TEAM ON HIS BACK WITH AN ELITE HEADER! WOLFPACK FINDS THE LEAD 💥#MCollegeCup x 🎥 ESPNU / @PackMensSoccer pic.twitter.com/tboQ6wRtsl
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 13, 2025

The loss to Syracuse in the ACC Tournament conditioned Phillip for the way the Saint Louis match was going. NC State pounded the ball at SLU's goalkeeper throughout the first half, but couldn't break through. Nonetheless, Phillip and the Wolfpack attack stayed the course. Eventually, the wall came down when the forward snuck a header in the back of the net to put the Pack up 1-0.

"It's a little frustrating because it's a big game," Phillip said. "We're not going to get a lot of chances... I knew it was coming, it was just a matter of time and just when, so it felt amazing when I saw the ball go in the back of the net... I know for a fact that when we get one or two, there's no team in the country that can come back."

Saint Louis brought a solid group of fans for its semifinal appearance, but nowhere close to the massive group of Wolfpack fans that made the trip to Cary to see the Pack. When Phillip scored, he made sure he let the Billiken crowd know who was going to the final.

"They were chirping us way too much," the forward said. "... I knew we had our crowd behind them... So I knew if I gave them a little sound back, then the momentum would shift to our side, for sure."

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