CLEMSON, S.C. — The No. 9 Clemson men’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 result to the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils (13-3-1) in Wednesday’s ACC semifinals nightcap at Historic Riggs Field. The Tigers (13-5-0) created numerous opportunities throughout the 90 minutes of play, but couldn’t quite capitalize and were upended at home for just the third time in the last three seasons.
Despite being outshot 13-2, the Blue Devils drew first blood when ACC Offensive Player of the Year Thor Ulfarsson converted a penalty kick just out of the reach of an outstretched George Marks. The penalty was Duke’s only shot out of its four that hit the frame. Clemson created a few chances, but the Tigers were unable to even the score before the halftime whistle blew.
The first 20 minutes of the second half saw Clemson win several dangerous free kicks, but all on-target attempts were dealt with well by Duke goalkeeper Eliot Hamill. The Tigers’ best chance came in the 70th minute when Ousmane Sylla found space in the penalty area but banged a ball off the cross bar and back into play.
Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador took two chances on the rebound. One was blocked, and the other was stopped by Hamill. The Tigers earned six corner kicks to Duke’s one, but ultimately could not find the back of the net.
Clemson fought desperately for the equalizer, but all efforts were snuffed out by a Duke back line that was content to wait behind the ball and park the bus. The Tigers outshot the Blue Devils 27-4, but only managed to get six of their shots on frame.
Up next, The Tigers await their seeding in the NCAA Tournament to be announced during the NCAA selection show on Monday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m, streaming on NCAA.com. With the selection, Clemson will earn its 34th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
