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Phillip Ready to Lead NC State in College Cup

The Wolfpack's leading goalscorer is ready to help his team finish the job and win a championship.
Tucker Sennett|
Donavan Phillip, NC State Forward
Donavan Phillip, NC State Forward | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — NC State men's soccer has had a remarkable season in 2025, but the run isn't over yet. The Wolfpack will head down the road to Cary, North Carolina, for the NCAA Tournament semifinals, aiming to secure the College Cup with just two more wins.

A major part of achieving that goal is star forward Donavan Phillip, a native of the small Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. Phillip scored 17 goals through the first 20 games of the season for the Wolfpack and is ready to do whatever it takes to help his team and head coach, Marc Hubbard, bring a trophy home to Raleigh.

Phillip's mindset entering the College Cup

Phillip was recently named the Offensive Player of the year for the ACC, joining teammates Logan Erb and Nikola Markovic in achieving positional honors, as those two won goalkeeper and defender of the year awards, respectively. The top goalscorer credited his teammates for a lot of his success, as they've allowed him to play with more freedom than ever before.

"These guys are going to be behind me no matter what," the forward said. "Even if I score the goal, even if I assist the goal, even I'm not even on the field, like the Duke game, I know they're going to leave everything out there. That mentality has been there for me my entire life and then coming to a team where it's all about winning and kind of getting the next guy up, even better."

When he was assembling his first roster before the 2024 season, Hubbard approached Erb, Markovic and Phillip with similar pitches. He sold them on the idea that they could join a rebuilding program and immediately help the Wolfpack compete at a high level. For Phillip, it was the coach's confidence that made him believe NC State was a worthy place for him to take his talents. It's worked out for both people.

"Coming in... I was a little skeptical coming because I wouldn't say NC State was my top option," Phillip said. "But when I came on my visit and kind of meeting (Hubbard) in person, the coaching staff, I committed on the spot, like five minutes after. I knew this was a place for me and I knew it was going to be special and it's lived up to it."

While NC State has turned its focus to Saint Louis, its semifinal opponent, from a schematic standpoint, the mindset for Phillip and the Wolfpack remains the same. The team wants to strike first, whether it's with Phillip or others, and then pin its ears back with one of the nation's best goalkeepers and defenses. That strategy places pressure upon the top goalscorer, but he's up to the challenge.

"We talked about kind of scoring early and getting on the front foot. We know we have some of the best defenders and one of the best goalkeepers in the country," Phillip said. "When we can get one or two, then we know we can shut any team in the country out. Trying to get that early goal is really big and that's kind of what we're trying to go into Saint Louis as."

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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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