Clemson Starts NCAA Tournament Play

Nov. 17, 2005

CLEMSON, SC–Clemson will play host to Coastal Carolina at Historic Riggs Field on Friday (November 18) at 5:00 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.

The winner of this match will play at 14th-seeded N.C. State on Tuesday, November 22 in Raleigh, NC.

Clemson has an 11-5-3 record overall and has a 6-2-1 record in the last nine matches, including wins over fifth-ranked Duke and eighth-ranked Virginia. Clemson advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament this past weekend.

Clemson is led in scoring by Dane Richards with eight goals and eight assists for 24 points. Mark Buchholz has five goals and two assists for 12 points. Bryson Moore has four goals and three assist for 11 points.

The 2005 tournament will be the 25th appearance for the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson boasts a 42-23 overall record in the NCAA Tournament and ranks fourth nationally in terms of tournament wins. Over the last eight seasons, Clemson has made five trips to the Round of 16 and four trips to the Final Eight.

Under Head Coach Trevor Adair, the Tigers have a 10-7 record in NCAA play. He now has taken Clemson to eight NCAA Tournaments in his 11 years at Clemson. He has also taken the Tigers to the NCAA Final 16 six times and the NCAA Final Eight four times. The Tigers have been seeded three times under Adair, (first, 1998; second, 2000; fifth, 2001).

Coastal Carolina will enter the match with an 11-8-1 record overall. The Chanticleers have won seven matches in a row. Coastal Carolina won the Big South Conference with a 1-0 win over Winthrop on November 13, in the championship match of the Big South Tournament.

Coastal Carolina is led in scoring by Jordie Hughes with 11 goals and seven assists for 29 ponts. Joseph Kabwe has seven goals and six assists for 20 points.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Clemson ticket office and will also be available at the Riggs Field gates on game day. They will be $7 for adults, and $3 for students.