Durham, N.H. – Ousmane Sylla netted his team-leading 12th goal of the season and No. 9 Clemson downed No. 8 New Hampshire, 1-0, on Sunday night in the Round of 16. With the win, the Tigers advance to the Elite 8 for the second time in three seasons and 17th time in school history.
Clemson will now host Stanford in a rematch of the 2019 Elite Eight on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m.
The physicality of the game started early, with four fouls in the game’s first seven minutes. New Hampshire had the first scoring chance, but a save by Andema kept the game knotted at zero early. The Wildcats continued to pressure, but the Tigers’ defense did not give in, keeping the home team off the scoreboard.
Clemson held the advantage the latter half of the first, with five corner kicks to show for it. Then, in the 35’, Alex Meinhard ricocheted a shot off a New Hampshire defender, before it was corralled by Ousmane Sylla who sent it into the back of the net to give the Tigers the 1-0 lead.
Clemson’s defense continued to shine in the second half, keeping New Hampshire off the board with two key saves by Andema. The Tigers had a chance to double the lead in the 65’, but a save by the Wildcats kept the score at 1-0.
Up next – after 16-seed Stanford knocked off 1-seed Marshall, the Tigers will now host the Cardinal in the Elite 8 at Historic Riggs Field on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
