Drew Lovelace Scores at Georgetown, the Pack Advances to Final Four

NC State midfielder Drew Lovelace spoke with Inside Pack Sports following the Wolfpack’s thrilling, 3-2, win at Georgetown on December 6, 2025. The win moved NCSU into the College Cup for the first time in 35 years.

You got a goal at Georgetown second year in a row, you advanced. Just speak to that if you don't mind. 

Yeah, I know. I mean, they're obviously a much better team than last year, but, and we knew that coming in. And so it was all about not remembering last year, like this is a new game, new teams for both, and just going into it without that mentality, not thinking about last year, and just doing what we do and believing in ourselves. 

Is it surreal that you're gonna be a local kid playing in Cary for a chance to go to the national championship game? 

Yeah, I mean, honestly, it means the world to me. Like, I'll have all my friends and family there. Like, that's everything I was dreaming of coming into NC State my freshman year. And now I feel like my last season to be able to do that, it's just surreal for me.

You guys got the 2-0, then 3-1, and then it was frantic. The last 45 minutes are probably as  intense as anything I've seen. Just speak to that. How's it playing in that pressure cooker? How did you guys handle that? 

Yeah, I mean, it was probably the most hectic 45 minutes we've had all season. And like to be able to shut them out in that second half was unreal. Like a defense, everybody just did an amazing job. Everybody was just working for one another, really prideful defending. And I think it was just like working for your brother on the right, and the reason we were able to do that and shut them out in the second half. 

Marc Hubbard, I think when they hired him, everybody kind of thought this is a guy that could get him to the college cup. In that sense, it's not a surprise. Second year he's here, he's doing it. That's probably a surprise. Why does that make sense? 

No, I mean, the first meeting he came in, he told us like, this isn't a rebuilding year. We're gonna go and try to win the first season, right? We fell short last season, but there's an exact same mentality coming into the second season that we're going for the natty, right? We're not rebuilding anything. It's just like this season, this team, who we are, we're gonna try to win it.

Every win means you earn another right to play for NC State. What does that mean? 

Just being here for four years, how long I've been here, the journey I've gone through, every chance I get to put on the stage, it just means the world to me. Especially me being a local kid, growing up around NC State, it means so much to me.

And it's just like every day, knowing that I'm fighting, just to be able to play one more game. And never knowing when it's my last game, just going out there, giving everything I have. Thought you had great support out here today.

I suspect you will want and expect great support. And Cary, you speak to the NC State fans, what would you like to say? 

Yeah, no, we actually, during our game notes, like our film, we had a little clip at the end of our Red Terrors back home. And just like the emotions that they have, the emotions that they bring, and like doing this for them, doing it to be able to get back in front of them one more time than Cary, NC, and play in front of them again.

Like really having that support system we have back there. We had a great support system here, it was like half NC State, and we love to see that. But we know once we get back to Cary, we're gonna be having even more, so.

Appreciate your time.