Krakowiak leads Clemson to ACC Tournament Finals

November 13, 1998

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The nation’s top scorer Wojtek Krakowiak of Clemson added a pair of goals to his total to lead the top-seeded Tigers to a 2-0 victory over No. 5 seeded Maryland in the first semifinal match of the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament at W. Dennie Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Krakowiak, recently named the ACC Player of the Year, scored early in the match knocking a 10-yarder into the far corner less than 10 minutes into the match. He added Clemson’s second score of the night at the 71:27 mark when he booted in the rebound off a shot from teammate Scott Bower that was deflected by Maryland’s Steve Armas. One of 15 finalists for the Hermann Trophy, Krakowiak now owns 27 goals and eight assists for 62 points. His 27 goals tie for fourth on the Clemson single season goals list and his 62 points ranks fifth on the all-time scoring chart.

With the win, Clemson earns its first trip to the ACC finals where the team will be looking for their first ever tournament crown. The Tigers have appeared in the championship three times, including the 1995 finals when the No. 3 seeded Tigers dropped a 1-0 decision to top-seeded Virginia in Durham.

No. 5 Maryland  0  0 - 0 (record: 13-7-0)No. 1 Clemson   1  1 - 2 (record: 19-1-0)

Scoring Summary: 9:50 Maryland – Krakowiak (Lisi) 71:27 Maryland – Krakowiak

Shots: Maryland 15, Clemson 10Corner Kicks: Maryland 5, Clemson 4Goalie Saves: Maryland 3 (Lewis 3), Clemson 7 (Campbell 7)Back Save: (Maryland – Armas 1)Fouls: Maryland 16, Clemson 15

ACC MEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT SEMFINAL MATCH NO. 1 COACHES QUOTES:

CLEMSON HEAD COACH TREVOR ADAIR: “Another very physical game. We played with a lot of intensity. We had a lot at stake in this game.”

“We did a great job defensively.”

“Obviously, there’s the factor that we played both of them this year (UVA &Duke) We know them. They’re both two very talented teams.We respect them.We want to play and we know that it will be a great game with either team.”

MARYLAND HEAD COACH SASHO CIROVSKI: “I felt it was a highly competitive ACC semifinal between two of the best teams in college soccer.”

“In the first half, we didn’t bring as much energy into the game as we would have liked to. I thought we played a great second half.”

“I have to give Clemson credit. They’re probably one of the most efficient teams in the country.”