Oct. 31, 2006

Virginia Tech Head Coach Oliver Weiss

On overall performance...

"The first half was a dull affair; the teams were testing each other. In the second half we came out very flat and gave up two goals. Then we got back in the game, got the lead back, and then relaxed again. This was probably our worst game of the year in terms of mental attitude and respect. There were really only three or four players who showed up to play today. It was very heartbreaking to go through a rollercoaster game like this. I give NC State all the credit for not giving up. They certainly deserved the win today."

On Patrick Nyarko...

"Patrick was one of the few players who showed up today. He scored two and goals and assisted on a couple more, and he should've had even more."

NC State Head Coach George Tarantini

On Ronnie Bouemboue's hat trick to win the game...

"Ronnie dominated the game. He's been out the whole year and today was just that - superb. That's what we have missed all season long. Finally, when he's healthy, we get this great performance."

On the team's performance...

"We lost two or three players to injuries early in the first half, including Alan Sanchez, a second team all ACC player, Sanchez controls the tempo and we lost him. Without him it was a very hard first half."

On facing Duke tomorrow...

"We have the game at 2:30, so we have a lot of time to rest. We will need our energy for a team like Duke. We are excited about this opportunity because playing in this tournament means playing some of the best competition in the country."

NC State Sophomore Defender Ronnie Bouemboue

On coming back to win...

"This is definitely a tribute to our seniors. There was nothing but heart from the field to the bench today, We all knew that we had to come out here and make something happen. Everyone took the initiative and we made it happen."

On the hat trick...

"Coach has taught us never to give up and that is exactly what we did. The third goal that Virginia Tech scored, I put my head down and knew that I needed to rally the guys. We had a rough regular season, finishing 1-6-1; therefore, we had nothing to lose and just put it all out there today."