Former Kiski School, Pittsburgh Independence FC standout Donovan Phillip leads NC State into College Cup

The College Cup (NCAA Men’s Final Four) semifinals kick off on Friday night.

Looking for a Pittsburgh connection in the Men’s College Soccer’s biggest showcase?

Look no further than NC State, who will be taking on Saint Louis in the second match of the evening (8:30 p.m.) featuring a a former Kiski School and Pittsburgh Independence SC (formerly BVB International Academy Pittsburgh) standout, Donovan Phillip, who’s raced up the NCAA Men’s Soccer Division I scoring table with 17 goals in 20 matches.

No. 15 seed Wolfpack (15-2-4) takes on the Billikens (14-2-7) at Cary’s First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Washington (14-6-2) and No. 16 Furman (17-1-4) play in the first semifinal at 6 p.m.

While the Pack have one of the best defensive teams in the Nation, as they’re second in the nation in goals against average, with 15 clean sheets in 21 games, on the attack they’re led by a big, physical presence of Phillip in the target forward position.

Phillip has scored 17 goals through the first 20 games in his second season in Raleigh and is among the finalists for the prestigous Mac Hermann Award honoring College Soccer’s top Division I player.

The native of the small Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia (the same nation where Riverhounds’ First Class Hall of Famer David Flavius hails from), Phillip came to Pittsburgh to attend Kiski Prep and played club soccer with Pittsburgh Independence FC (previously

In his return to Pittsburgh earlier this Fall, Donovan scored in the opening minutes of NC State’s match vs Pitt at Ambrose Urbanic Field.

Donovan got into great position behind Pitt’s back line on a long ball over the top from a free kick taken from NC State’s defensive third. Donovan then beat Pitt GK Jack Moxom to the ball, putting a subtle touch past the keeper and into goal for the lead. 

That match would end in a 1-1 result, with Pitt scoring the first goal against NC State this season.

NC State’s success this season has been under the guidance of Head Coach Marc Hubbard, who has helped transformed the program into a middle of the pack (no pun intended) ACC program, into the College Cup in two short years.

A big part of Hubbard’s success has stemmed with getting players to buy into his system.

Phillip played one year at Oakland (MI) as a freshman (scoring five goals and adding seven assists) before entering the transfer portal in Fall 2023, then enrolling at NC State.

“Coming in… I was a little skeptical coming because I wouldn’t say NC State was my top option,” Phillip told SI.com’s Tucker Sennett. 

“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.”

When Phillip played in Pittsburgh in September, he had a large rooting section with many current players from Pittsburgh Independence FC, along with his former Kiski School Head Coach Jonty Lukes in attendance that night.

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Phillip is estatic about this opportunity to play on College Soccer’s biggest stage.

“It means a lot,” Phillip told Ryan Loy for USYouthSoccer.org of his experience playing for NC State.

“If you told me I’d be in this situation two or three years ago, I’d probably laugh and be like, ‘that’s nearly impossible.’ It’s seeing all the hard work and all that effort you put in throughout your career finally paying off.

“They treat the players right and do everything in their power to let you be the best person you can be. You don’t have to play scared. You can take risks. That’s when I shine the most: when I can go in and be the best version of myself and just enjoy soccer like I’m back in Saint Lucia playing like when I was 8 years old. Until today, I still cannot believe I’m in that situation. They give you the tools you need. It’s up to you to apply yourself and be in that right mindset, and then everything else falls in place.”