Clemson and Duke Tie 0-0 in ACC Soccer Quarterfinals

Nov. 8, 2011

DURHAM, NC – Clemson and Duke tied 0-0 but the Blue Devils advance to the semifinals by winning the penalty kick round in the quarterfinals of the ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament at Durham, NC Tuesday night.

After a 4-4 tie in the first penalty kick round, Duke’s Chris Tweed-Kent converted on his attempt in the sudden victory penalty kick round to put the Blue Devils up 5-4. Clemson’s Wes Nelson attempt was saved by the Blue Devil’s goalkeeper, James Belshaw and Duke advances in the tournament.

With the draw, Clemson is now 8-8-2 overall, while Duke is now 10-6-3 this season. This is the first .500 or better team Clemson has had since the 2006 squad finished 13-5-2. Clemson will await word on a possible NCAA Tournament bid. The Tigers have been unbeaten in the last six matches and have a 4-0-2 record in these contests.

“We just drew with a good Duke team,” said Clemson Head Coach Mike Noonan. “They beat us at home 5-2 on September 16, and now we tied them at Duke. That shows how much our team has progressed this season. We should be in discussion and strongly considered for a NCAA Tournament bid. The team gets better each week. We had to rely on freshmen this season, and they have improved by leaps and bounds. We have made a strong case for a NCAA bid this season.

“I thought we were gritty in the second half. We are a more committed team now, we have come closer together and that’s why we played Duke better this time. We also got healthy. Cody played well as did the back line tonight.”

Shots: Clemson 3, Duke 7 Corner Kicks: Clemson 5, Duke 3 Saves: Cody Mizell (CU) 4, James Belshaw (DU) 1 Fouls: Clemson 21, Duke 18 Attendance: 527

Penalty Kick Round: Duke – James Belshaw, Good Clemson – Austin Savage, Good Duke – Andrew Morales, Good Clemson – Brynjar Benediktsson, Good Duke – Sean Davis, Missed Clemson – Alex Stockinger, Good Duke – Nat Eggleston, Good Clemson – Keegan Priest, Good Duke – Andrew Wenger, Good Clemson – Cody Mizell, Missed

Sudden Victory Penalty Kick Round: Duke – Chris Tweed-Kent, Good Clemson – Wes Nelson, Missed