NC State Captains Helped Lay A Foundation
NC State stood at 0-5-2 overall as it entered its final non-conference game of the season. With a brutal ACC slate ahead and no luck at all up to that point, it appeared wins would be few and far between, if any at all, for Gary Higgins in his first season in charge of the program.
Something happened. NC State began to figure it out.
The Wolfpack smashed Campbell. ACC play began, and battles against top opponents Notre Dame and FSU saw NC State as a much more competitive team.
But the Pack conceded late goals against the Irish and Seminoles. What could have been four points in the league standings was instead only one. Was this a continuation of NCSU’s unfortunate ability to find ways not to get the job done, or was it a sign of growth?
The answer began to surface before the Seminoles came to town. NC State won at SMU in its first road league match of the campaign, and in its next game away from home, the Wolfpack did the late rallying itself as a 4-4 draw at Virginia Tech gave them points from their third straight match.
NC State would win its next three games, including a home victory over Wake Forest, to put itself firmly in the mix for a top-six finish in the ACC. Although the Wolfpack could not follow through and dropped its final three games (all against NCAA Tournament teams), a new standard had been set.
Inside Pack Sports recently spoke with the two senior captains of the 2025 squad, Brooklyn Holt and Olivia Pratapas.
The duo gave their thoughts on the coaching change, the new leadership in the program, the magic of the ACC run, and the future of women’s soccer at NC State.
IPS: When did soccer become a thing in your life?
HOLT: Soccer has been a huge thing in my life. My mom played when she was in college and grew up, so my sister and I started playing when we were around four years old. I have been playing since and have not stopped.
PRATAPAS: I started playing soccer at the age of three for my local YMCA. I just picked it up from there and ran with it. I danced as well, which is crazy to say, but I stuck with soccer because it was just what I enjoyed the most.
IPS: Was NC State the dream?
HOLT: I was recruited during the COVID era, so it wasn't easy finding teams to talk to and going on visits and stuff like that, but NC State always felt like home to me. Obviously, my whole family went here, so I always aspired to play in college. NC State was always around the corner, close to home, and a sentimental place to me, so when the offer came, it was a no-brainer that I wanted to come.
IPS: You went to Louisville and grew up near Wake Forest.
PRATAPAS: I kept all my options open. There was no set goal or school I wanted to really go to, just the best offer and what felt right. Both my uncles actually played football at Wake Forest, and Wake Forest was always the local school to me. It was too close. I wanted to spread my wings and go somewhere else, so I got the opportunity at the University of Louisville, and honestly, I am grateful and thankful for that opportunity. It allowed me to grow as a person.
IPS: What was it like when you first got to NC State?
HOLT: My freshman year, 2022, we had a decent season. We made it to the NCAA tournament. It was my first NCAA tournament, so I was ecstatic. I always wanted to keep that momentum as much as possible, but obviously, the last two years have not been as great.
We just had some internal things going on, some team culture dynamics that were not up to par, so the (new) coaching team just really turned us around. We have been able to have more success this year and have been able to have some more team cohesion, some more cultural success overall.
It has been a great process. It has been hard, difficult mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and everything around, but being able to have these coaches come in and help us grow as not only players but as people that have helped us turn around and have success this year.
PRATAPAS: I transferred in when they were kind of changing the culture, weeding out the negativity, so when I came in, I did not know the cultural leadership ups and downs. When I came in, I thoroughly enjoyed my first year. I thought everybody was really close. The freshmen who came in with me when I transferred, amazing, and they are now leaders as well in the leadership council.
IPS: Should NC State have been a better team in the past couple of years?
HOLT: We had the talent for sure. It just did not come through in our play, and it was really disappointing to see, honestly. We had some great players. We could not pull through with results.
Similar to I think, earlier this year. We had some great players, some great chances we just couldn't pull through with results, so moving forward, I feel like that's something that Gary and the rest of the staff will be able to do is get these results as well as get the quality and success that we've been lacking the last few years.
PRATAPAS: Absolutely. I remember when you interviewed me before the season. I said this is like the ground level of what this program has. We are just building that foundation, I think in the years to come, we are going to be up there competing with UNC. Duke and beating them. We already beat Wake, so we proved ourselves there. We had some good outcomes against Pitt, Boston College, so I really think this year, the first year with the new coaching staff, we are really just laying that foundation, kind of getting everything laid out for us and then going to build it up from there.
IPS: How did NC State turn things around this season? After the non-conference slate, the Notre Dame and FSU games, with points left on the table, could have been a continuation of that, but the Wolfpack righted the ship and went on a great run.
HOLT: We talk about it as a team all the time. Right after the Utah game, I think that was in August, we just came together as a team. We really had a team meeting and some internal stuff and said this is not who we are. This is not the standard we want to be at and that we know that we can be at, so we had a team meeting, we discussed it and we really discussed our goals and how we see this moving forward in the game.
After that, Elon is when we really came out flying, competing, lots of shots, lots of opportunities. We may not have had the result that we wanted, but the competitive standpoint was a real turning point for us, and then that next Campbell game when we came out, scored four goals, we just really saw ourselves turning around. From there we just went on that run. I think that was our biggest turning point in the season.
PRATAPAS: I think honestly, going back to that meeting we had after Utah, we collectively on a leadership standpoint, took initiative by ourselves and just said, we must be better. We have the potential; we must bring it because we are seniors. This is our last semester.
We do not want to leave anything left in the gas tank. We want to give it all we have because at the end of the day, these are the memories that you are going to remember most, so you might as well get all you got.
To your question about the Notre Dame and Florida State, obviously JMU and the teams that we have played in the preseason, those are great teams. Obviously when we got to the ACC, we really had to turn it up because this is the best conference in the country. We knew the competition was going to be 10 times better, 10 times more competitive, and if we get these points that can boost us even higher.
The past was the past. We knew that we had to focus on the present and what we were going into, and that those opportunities were exponentially more important than anything that we could have done in the past.
IPS: When you were going through the winning phase after starting out 0-5-2 in non-conference play, describe the emotions of that experience.
HOLT: I told Liv it just felt like a dream every day. Obviously, it is our senior year, so I just woke up, came with gratitude every single day just to be able to come out and play, but that run was just extremely enjoyable. To be able to share those moments with my teammates and just those wins in the ACC, those three points in the a, CC more than we've ever had in the past four years that I've been here, so it was just insane to just feel that the next game I feel that we can win.
PRATAPAS: We have shown what we can achieve, and then kind of like looking from the outside, I am kind of grateful for everybody that kind of preyed upon our downfall. It honestly just fueled us more internally.
I am grateful for everybody that put us in our own standing, because we kind of just proved to ourselves and all the schools around us, say whatever you want, but it's what we can do to prove you wrong.
I came from two schools, honestly, I think this was the most wins I have ever had in my college career, and it felt like a fever dream. Just being around your best friends and I remember celebrating after Wake Forest, in the locker room, blasting music. Like those are the things that you are going to remember down the road.
IPS: It takes a lot of character to want to be a part of building something when deep down you know the fruits of your labor will more likely be enjoyed by those who come behind you. What led you to see this thing out at NC State and what will it mean to you to see the Wolfpack continue to improve after you leave?
HOLT: That is such a great question, and that has been my mentality all season. I want to leave this place better than how I found it and how it was when I came here.
The coaches are a huge part of that, but as well as us building our own team culture as a team, we came in as captains knowing that like you said, this was going to be our last year, and that we want to build the foundation for this program to move forward and be successful when we leave, when we're dead, when our kids come here, whatever the case may be, but I just want this program to be as successful as possible because I love it so much.
I love the teammates that I am leading so much, so I want them to have as much success as possible whether I am here or not.
PRATAPAS: Building off that with the new coaching staff, this program has so much potential, and I feel like this year we kind of helped lay that foundation for not only club players in the North Carolina area, but as well different states showing them that NC State should be on their radar and that this is a school that can compete with the other top dogs.
IPS: Tell me about Gary Higgins.
PRATAPAS: He is someone that is always looking out for you and wants the best in you. Personally, I went through adversity this season, but he never gave up on me and I never gave up on myself. He knew I had the potential. He just had to push me, so I feel like he wants the best for each individual, will help you in any way and give you those tools. It is just up to you if you want to take it. I respect him and the coaching staff so much for what they've done to this program and for us, and for myself individually. I could not even pick a word to describe him because he is just amazing.
HOLT: Gary Higgins is loyal, and purpose driven. He came in with a plan and has executed that plan. It may not have always been perfect, may not have always been exactly how we pictured it, but he executed it in the sense that he came in, got to know every single one of the players on his roster, came in and automatically turned around the environment in NC State women's soccer, so he came in and he actually speaks to us as people, and he wants to get to know us on and off the field, but then he drives us.
He uses that to drive us on the field, and he also shows emotions. He also shows his emotions to us and when we can show our emotions to him. I think that creates a great bond as a coach and a player. He creates an environment where players want to play for him.
IPS: If you could speak directly to NC State fans, what would you want to say to them?
HOLT: I would want to say how grateful I am for every single NC State fan, student, faculty member that has ever supported me over my four years. A huge shout out to the Red Terrors who have come out and supported us, especially this last season. They know every single one of our names, they know a lot of our stories. They hang out with us outside of the field and they just continue to support us, whether we are winning, whether we are losing, and just that attitude goes a long way and has pushed us through the season. I am eternally grateful.
PRATAPAS: I would say thank you for the continuous support throughout the season, throughout the years. Our fan base is something I am going to remember for the rest of my life, especially Red Terrors.
The fans. I remember last year when we played Carolina, and we packed the stands. We had the hugest turnout, and it was just amazing to see all those fans come out and support women's soccer, so thank you to the Raleigh area, to NC State fans and to students. Everyone.
