SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The No. 24 Clemson Tigers responded after an early deficit, but ultimately dropped a 2-1 battle to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday evening to open ACC play. With the loss, Clemson fell to 4-2-2 (0-1 ACC), while Notre Dame moved to 3-0-5 (1-0 ACC).
“Unfortunately we did not play well in the first half…we talked a little bit at halftime and we changed our mentality,” said Head Coach Eddie Radwanski. “We came out in the second half and we were a lot more authoritative and assertive, we played with more confidence, braver and played some good football at times. We got a goal, and it was looking like we were going to get another but unfortunately conceded a penalty. I’m happy with the kids and how they performed and responded in the second half. That’s our standard. We can’t come out and play like we did in the first half of this game, that’s not who we are, but lesson learned. You have a chance to win an ACC game on the road and we didn’t take advantage of it. Now we just have to get ready for the next week.”
Notre Dame capitalized in the first minute of play after a scramble inside the box brought all Clemson defenders and goalkeeper to one place. A loose ball poked out of the pack that a Fighting Irish forward was able to place in the back of the net for the 1-0 advantage. The Tigers got a slower start, getting their first and lone shot of the first half off in the 34’ of play by Gabby Hoschek.
Clemson’s offense stepped up in the second half to fire off 11 shots. Carla Small kicked things off with a shot on goal in the 51’ that Notre Dame’s goalkeeper saved, and Dani Davis followed with a shot on goal that required a save in the 55’. Both Natalie Brooks and Ella Bach followed with shots that were blocked and off target, respectively. Clemson attempted to break onto the scoreboard with two shots within a 15-second span that began with a shot by Davis that was deflected, followed immediately by an off-target shot by Ella Bach.
The Tigers got on the board in the 65’ when a corner kick placed in the air by Davis hit the back of a Notre Dame defender. The ball ricocheted off the Fighting Irish into the net for an own goal to make it 1-1. Notre Dame reclaimed the lead in the 77’ after a foul inside the box resulted in a penalty kick that was capitalized upon to make it 2-1. Clemson got off two final shot attempts, including a shot on goal from Jolie Jenkins that was saved, but dropped the first ACC match of the year, 2-1.
Up Next
The Tigers return home to Historic Riggs Field on Thursday, Sept. 17 as they continue conference play at 7 p.m. against Syracuse. Admission is free and open to the public, and all the action can be streamed on ACCNX.