CLEMSON SOCCER

Clemson soccer wins in penalty kicks to advance to ACC Final


by -

CARY, N.C. - The Clemson men’s soccer team advanced to the final of the ACC Tournament 5-4 in penalty kicks over No. 2 and defending national champion Notre Dame Friday night. This is the second consecutive match that the Tigers have advanced by penalty kicks in.

Clemson faced an early 1-0 deficit when Notre Dame scored in the 26th minute. Senior captain Bobby Belair found the back of the net in the 88th minute to knot the score at 1, his second goal of the season. Junior Paul Clowes assisted on the goal with a well-placed corner kick.

The Tigers and the Irish played through two overtime periods with no score, sending the game to penalty kicks. Just as he did against Wake Forest in the quarterfinal round, redshirt junior goalkeeper Chris Glodack entered the match to defend during the shoot-out.

Seniors Manolo Sanchez, Bobby Belair and Ara Amirkhanian and juniors Kyle Fisher and T.J. Casner all took penalty kicks during the shoot-out and connected. Glodack saved three Notre Dame attempts.

“We’re absolutely ecstatic to be advancing,” said head coach Mike Noonan. “Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country and they played that way tonight but I thought our team played toe-to-toe with them.”

Sophomore Andrew Tarbell played a full 110 minutes in goal during regulation and overtime, saving one shot.

Clemson’s record now stands at 10-6-3 on the season. The Tigers out-shot Notre Dame 19 to 11 in the match and attempted 13 corner kicks to Notre Dame’s two.

This is the first Clemson team to advance to the final of the ACC Tournament since 2001. The Tigers have advanced to the final five times in the history of the program. The final will be played on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. at Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park against either No. 2 seed Syracuse or No. 6 seed Louisville. More details will be posted on ClemsonTigers.com tomorrow.

No. 14 Clemson 1, No. 2 Notre Dame 1

*Clemson advances 5-4 in penalty kicks

SCORING SUMMARY

Notre Dame - Leon Brown (from Evan Panken and Luke Mishu) 25:52

Clemson - Bobby Belair (from Paul Clowes) 88:01

Shots - Clemson 19, Notre Dame 11

Corner Kicks - Clemson 13, Notre Dame 2

Saves - Tarbell (CU) 1, Wall (ND) 6

Fouls - Clemson 16, Notre Dame 7

Ultimate Level LogoUpgrade Your Account

Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.

Upgrade Now
Comment on this story
Print   
Tigers fall to Notre Dame in ACC Tournament quarterfinals
Tigers fall to Notre Dame in ACC Tournament quarterfinals
Former Clemson football assistant named to SEC team's staff
Former Clemson football assistant named to SEC team's staff
4-star Peach State defender sets commitment date, Clemson in final visits
4-star Peach State defender sets commitment date, Clemson in final visits
WATCH: Controversial non-home run call during Clemson-UGA game
WATCH: Controversial non-home run call during Clemson-UGA game
Post your comments!