Clemson Set to Host No. 4 Virginia & No. 5 North Carolina This Week

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson women’s soccer team is set to host two top five teams this week, starting with No. 4 Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. and ending with No. 5 North Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m.

Match Information:
Who: Clemson Tigers vs. No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers
When: Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.
Where: Historic Riggs Field, Clemson, S.C.
Follow: @ClemsonWSoccer on Twitter and Instagram
Live Stats: https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-womens-soccer-live-stats/
Watch Live: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3428927/virginia-vs-clemson-w-soccer

Clemson Notes:

• The Tigers kicked off ACC play on Friday, Sept. 14 against Miami, picking up a 2-1 victory in overtime.
• Offensively, Clemson dominated last week, outshooting the Hurricanes 23-5 overall and 7-2 in shots on goal. All five shots for Miami were in the first half, therefore the Clemson defense held the Hurricanes without a shot for the entire second half and overtime.
• Sophomore forward Mariana Speckmaier picked up her second game-winning goal of the season in the 95^th minute in the ACC opener on Friday.
• Redshirt senior Miranda Weslake and Speckmaier now have five goals each on the season and lead the team in that category, with Weslake picking up her fifth to tie the match at 1-1 against Miami. The two forwards are also tied for the team lead in scoring, with 11 points apiece, both on five goals and one assist.
• Junior goalkeeper Sandy MacIver started her fifth match in net for the Tigers after returning from France, where she represented England’s women’s national team and earned a bronze medal at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
• The Winsford, England native picked up her third clean sheet of the season against Liberty on Sept. 9, earning her ninth solo shutout at Clemson. The nine career solo shutouts ranks fifth in program history.
• Starting defender Sam Staab was the only collegiate player called up to the U.S. U23 Women’s National Team for the 2018 Nordic Tournament that took place from Aug. 29-Sept. 3. The San Diego, Calif. native scored the team’s game-winning goal in the 1-0 win over Norway to secure the USA’s first-place finish.

 Virginia Notes:

• The No. 4 Cavaliers enter the match at 7-0-0 as they defeated No. 11 Penn State, 2-1, on Sept. 9.
• Virginia is one of six teams in the country with a win-loss-tie percentage of 1.000, and they are also tied fourth in the nation in goals per game (3.14) while ranking sixth in the nation for shots per game (22.14) and points (9.0).
• Leading the offense for the Cavaliers are senior midfielder Betsy Brandon and freshman forward Rebecca Jarret. Both players have netted three goals and added one assist.
• Sophomore Laurel Ivory is 6-0-0 with three shutouts in her six starts in net for Virginia, allowing only one goal while picking up nine saves in her 479 minutes. She is ranked third in the nation in goals against average (.190).
• Both freshman Michaela Moran and redshirt sophomore Sarah Maurer have both seen time in net for the Cavaliers.

Series Notes:

• Virginia has a 15-10-2 record all-time against the Tigers, and the series dates back to 1994, the inaugural season for the Clemson program.
• In 2017, the Tigers and the No. 14 Cavaliers battled to a 0-0 draw at Klöckner Stadium, marking only the second draw between the two teams.
• The last time the two teams met at Historic Riggs Field was on Oct. 8, 2015, and No. 5 Clemson fell 2-0 to No. 3 Virginia.

Match Information:
Who: Clemson Tigers vs. No. 5 North Carolina Tar Heels
When: Sunday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m.
Where: Historic Riggs Field, Clemson, S.C.
Follow: @ClemsonWSoccer on Twitter and Instagram
Live Stats: https://clemsontigers.com/clemson-womens-soccer-live-stats/
Watch Live: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3428965/north-carolina-vs-clemson-w-soccer

North Carolina Notes:

• 5 North Carolina is set to square off with Pitt on Thursday, Sept. 19 before travelling to Clemson.
• The Tar Heels upset No. 2 Florida State, 1-0, on Friday, Sept. 14 in the conference opener.
• Freshman forward Rachel Jones netted the game winner against FSU, picking up her first collegiate goal.
• Jones and sophomore defender Taylor Otto nabbed ACC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors this week. Otto and the UNC defense held Florida State to just eight shots overall, including only two in second half, zero shots on goal and only three corner kicks. Otto also assisted on Rachel Jones’ game-winning goal.
• Otto and senior defender Julia Ashley lead the Tar Heels with two goals and two assists each, good for six points.
• Senior goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak is 5-0 in her 450 minutes in net for North Carolina, allowing two goals for a goals against average of .400 and a save percentage of .875.
• Freshman keeper Claudia Dickey is 1-2 in her 382 minutes, allowing three goals.

Series Notes:

• The Tar Heels have a 31-1-1 record all-time against the Tigers, which dates back to 1994, the inaugural season for the Clemson program.
• The last regular season meeting between the two teams at Historic Riggs Field was Sept. 25, 2016, where the Clemson and North Carolina played to a 1-1 tie.
• The one Clemson win in the series came in 2000, a 2-1 win at Riggs Field on Sept. 13. The Tigers went on to be ACC Regular Season Champions that year.

Admission is free for all 2018 home Clemson women’s soccer matches. For complete coverage of the Clemson women’s soccer, follow @ClemsonWSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.