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Marc Hubbard Ready to Lead Wolfpack in College Cup Battle

NC State men's soccer and head coach Marc Hubbard are ready to take on Saint Louis in the National Semifinals of the College Cup.
Tucker Sennett|
NC State men's soccer coach Marc Hubbard.
NC State men's soccer coach Marc Hubbard. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — NC State men's soccer knocked off Georgetown on the road to reach the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, also known as the College Cup. NC State's remarkable turnaround under head coach Marc Hubbard is one of the most fascinating stories in collegiate soccer, as it took just two seasons for the coach to get the Wolfpack playing on a massive stage.

To make things even easier for Hubbard and the Pack, the College Cup is played just down the road in Cary, North Carolina. The second-year coach spoke to members of the media Wednesday, just two days before the Wolfpack is set to take on Saint Louis.

Hubbard's process

While the Wolfpack had to leave home to take down the Hoyas, the team has been able to get back into its normal routine during its preparations for the College Cup. That is something Hubbard isn't taking for granted, especially given his team's tremendous success at home throughout the 2025 season.

"We've been looking forward to the week, for sure, being at home and staying in the same routine, so we were able to kind of get out of our hotel obligations and just stay in our beds and have our normal routine," Hubbard said. "The guys have been having to move finals around and do that, so life doesn't stop outside of being in the Final Four. I've been proud of how they've handled it."

Hubbard attributed a lot of the turnaround to a complete and total buy-in by the players into his culture. The Wolfpack plays a distinct brand of soccer, attacking early in games to build a lead for one of the nation's best defenses and top goalkeeper, Logan Erb. The style makes it easy to recruit players and even easier for them to believe in Hubbard once they arrive.

"Culture is really important, something we talk about and build every day. It's not just something that happens naturally," the coach said. "... And part of that identity is to play a style that is fun, so scoring goals is fun and winning games is fun. Every day is sort of designed and built around creating those attacking instances and becoming a better soccer player at the same time."

Because of the geographic situation for the College Cup, NC State is expected to bring a massive crowd to Cary for Friday's game against Saint Louis. Hubbard and his staff worked hard throughout the season to build relationships with the Wolfpack fan base, including students and families in Raleigh. Clearly, the Wolfpack succeeded in that effort.

"That's really what it's about, is bringing those people back into the fray and back into the fold, and making them feel a part of it," Hubbard said. "Our alums are very prominent in the soccer world, throughout this country, but also internationally. And yet, any bit of our success, we owe it to them."

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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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