Clemson To Play At Boston College Friday Night

Oct. 30, 2008

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson men’s soccer team will play Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA Friday night at 7:00 p.m. in Atlantic Coast Conference action.

The game will be played at the Boston College Soccer Complex on the Newton Campus behind the Boston College Law School.

The Tigers, coming off of a 3-2 victory over the seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, have a record of 5-7-2 overall on the season. The Tigers are 3-3-1 in the ACC. The win over North Carolina was the second top-10 win for the Tigers this season, as Clemson defeated fourth-ranked Maryland 5-3 on October 3.

Nathan Thornton, who scored two goals in Clemson’s 3-2 upset of seventh-ranked North Carolina, was named to Soccer America’s National Team of the Week on Monday. Thornton scored the game-winner with 1:32 left to go in the second overtime period.

The Tigers are led in scoring this season by Michael Brooks with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Hassan Ibrahim has scored four goals and has one assist for nine points. Joseph Bendik is in goal again for the Tigers. So far this season he has 75 saves and has played in all 1,339 minutes. He has a 1.68 GAA this season.

This will be the fourth meeting between Clemson and Boston College on the soccer field. Clemson leads the overall series 2-0-1. Last year, Clemson upset seventh-ranked Boston College, 1-0 at Clemson’s Historic Riggs Field on November 4. Current Clemson sophomore Tommy Drake scored the game’s lone goal with 4:18 left to go in the match with assists by David Newton and Mark Buchholz.

“Obviously, this is a big game as it will have an impact in the seedings of the upcoming ACC Tournament,” said Clemson Head Coach Trevor Adair. “Boston College is the defending ACC Tournament and Regular Season Champions. There is always a big incentive to play well against the defending champions. Boston College is a good team and a good team when playing at home. We will have to be ready to play.”

Boston College has a 7-6-2 record overall and a 3-3-0 record in the ACC. Boston College is led in scoring by Alejandro Bedoya with four goals and two assists for 10 points. Chris Brown is in goal for the Eagles. This season Brown has 32 saves and a 1.14 goals allowed per game average. Boston College is a strong second half team as the Eagles have scored 11 of its 16 goals this season in the last half. Boston College won the ACC Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2007. Last year, the Eagles defeated Wake Forest, who eventually won the NCAA National Championship, in the ACC Tournament Finals.

Want to Go? For fans in the area, here are directions to the Boston College Soccer Complex:

From the Mass. Turn Pike (Heading East): Take exit 17. Take first right onto Centre Street. Follow Centre Street for approximately 3-5 minutes. Turn right into the Boston College Law School Campus. Follow the road as it winds to the right and down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, follow to the left and parking will be on the right next to the practice behind the Quonset hut.

From the Mass. Turn Pike (Heading West): Take exit 17 and follow all the way around the rotary (left) and take first right onto Centre Street. Follow Centre Street for approximately 3-5 minutes. Turn right into the Boston College Law School Campus. Follow the road as it winds to the right and down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, follow to the left and parking will be on the right next to the practice field behind the Quonset hut.