Clemson to Play Host to #7 North Carolina Saturday Night

Oct. 23, 2008

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson men’s soccer team will play host to seventh-ranked North Carolina on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. at Historic Riggs Field.

Clemson will enter the match with a 4-7-2 record overall, and a 2-3-1 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina is now 11-2-1 overall and 3-2 in league play. The Tar Heels are ranked seventh in the latest Soccer America and College Soccer News polls. The NSCAA has the Tar Heels ranked eighth in this week’s listing.

The match with North Carolina has been designated as Club Night. All area soccer clubs are invited to attend. There will be free admission to all youth clubs and recreational team members wearing their uniforms. During halftime festivities, the Clemson Anderson Soccer Alliance’s U-10 teams (Galaxy, Thunder, and United) will scrimmage each other.

Check in for the Youth Teams will start approximately 45 minutes prior to kick off. The gate is located at the southwest entrance of the stadium next to the indoor tennis facility. All players must sign in on the pass list at the gate before entering the game.

“North Carolina is playing well and they are finding a way to win the tough games,” said Clemson Head Coach Trevor Adair. “They are playing well in and out of conference play. They are very athletic with lots of depth. We are hoping for a large crowd as this is our last ACC home game this season.”

This will be the 52nd meeting between Clemson and North Carolina on the soccer field. Clemson leads the overall series 26-19-6. When the two teams play at Clemson, the Tigers lead the series, 14-5-4.

In 2006, Clemson defeated 16th-ranked North Carolina 1-0, in front of 7,012 fans at Historic Riggs Field. Last season at Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels defeated the Tigers 3-2. Clemson has won 11 of the last 20 meetings between the two teams.

Clemson is led in scoring by senior Michael Brooks with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Junior Hassan Ibrahim has three goals and one assist for seven points this season.

North Carolina is led in scoring by Brian Shriver with 12 goals and one assist for 25 points. Eddie Ababio has seven goals and four assists for 18 points.