No. 2 Clemson Hosts Elon in NCAA Second Round Sunday

Match Information:

What: 2015 NCAA Tournament Second RoundWho: No. 2 National Seed Clemson Tigers (15-2-2) vs. Elon (14-5-1)When: Sunday, Nov. 22 at 6 p.m.Where: Historic Riggs Field, Clemson, S.C.RPI: Clemson – No. 2; Elon – No. 25NSCAA Rankings: Clemson – No. 2; Elon – R/VFollow: @ClemsonMSoccer on Twitter and InstagramLive Video: ESPN3 (http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/id/2706924/size/condensed/) Live Stats: ClemsonTigers.com (http://www.cstv.com/gametracker/launch/?event=1475111&school=fo&sport=msoccer&)Tickets: (http://bit.ly/MSOCNCAA15Rd2)

Clemson Team Notes:

• This is Clemson’s 29^th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, which puts the program in ninth-place nationally in terms of all-time NCAA Tournament appearances.
• The Clemson program has a 48-25-2 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, and, with its 48 wins in tournament play, is sixth in NCAA Tournament history in that category.
• The Tigers have reached the NCAA College Cup seven times in program history. Two of those seasons, 1984 and 1987, Clemson won the national title.
• In the 2014 NCAA Tournament, after earning a first-round bye, the Tigers defeated Coastal Carolina 2-1 in the Second Round, before falling to North Carolina 2-1 in the Round of 16.
• Clemson is coming off a loss to Syracuse in the ACC Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 11 by a score of 2-0. The Orange went on to win the ACC Championship with a 1-0 road victory over Notre Dame on Sunday, Nov. 15.
• The Tigers finished the regular season with a 14-1-2 overall record and a 6-1-1 mark in ACC play. This is the first time since the 2001 season that the team has accumulated 14 wins in regular season play.
• The Tigers were unbeaten in regular season home games, going 9-0-1 in games played at Historic Riggs Field in 2015. It is the 11^th time in program history, and the first time since 1998, that the team has been unbeaten at home during the regular season.
• The team is ranked in the top nine in the nation in six scoring categories – fourth points per game (6.63), fifth in scoring offense (2.26), sixth in total assists (40), seventh in total points (126), eighth in assists per game (2.11) and ninth in total goals (43).
• Clemson is second in the RPI rankings released on Sunday, Nov. 15.  Five of the top seven teams in the RPI are from the ACC (No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 3 Syracuse, No. 4 North Carolina and No. 7 Notre Dame).

Clemson Player Notes:

• Seven Clemson players were honored by the ACC when it announced its 2015 award winners on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Senior Paul Clowes was named ACC Midfielder of the Year and senior Kyle Fisher was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Clowes and Fisher were joined on the All-ACC First Team by senior T.J. Casner and redshirt junior Andrew Tarbell. Junior Iman Mafi and sophomore Oliver Shannon were named to the All-ACC Third Team, and rookie Patrick Bunk-Andersen was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.
• Senior Paul Clowes and redshirt senior Kyle Murphy were named to the 2015 ACC All-Tournament Team on Sunday, Nov. 15. Clowes played 176 out of 180 minutes in the Tigers’ two tournament games, providing consistent, solid play in the holding midfield position. Murphy provided a spark for the Tigers off the bench in both games, scoring a goal in the team’s 3-0 win over Boston College.
• Senior T.J. Casner leads the team in goals (8) and points (19). The eight goals put him in a tie for fourth in the ACC, while his goals per game average of 0.42 is tied for fifth in the conference.
• Casner has a team-best five game-winning goals, a figure which ranks tied for first in the ACC and eighth in the nation in that statistical category.
• Five other Tigers have at least 10 points on the season, redshirt senior Kyle Murphy (18), junior Austen Burnikel (16), sophomore Oliver Shannon (13), junior Iman Mafi (11) and sophomore Diego Campos (10).
• 11 players have scored at least one goal for Clemson so far this season, while 16 have tallied at least one assist.
• Redshirt junior goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell is 15-2-2 in goal for the Tigers, registering 63 saves and allowing just 13 goals on the season, while playing over 1,744 minutes in the net.
• Tarbell’s save percentage of .829 ranks third in the ACC and 15^th in the nation, while his goals against average of 0.671 ranks second in the conference and 15^th nationally.
• Tarbell also has eight solo shutouts on the season, a figure which is tied for first among all keepers in the ACC.

Elon Notes:

• Elon is 14-5-1 overall and finished 6-2 in regular season play in the Colonial Athletic Association.
• The Phoenix defeated Winthrop 3-0 in the NCAA First Round on Thursday, Nov. 19 in Elon, N.C., behind goals from three different players – Eduardo Alvarez, James Brace and Cooper Vandermaas-Peeler.
• Brace leads Elon in scoring with 17 points on six goals and five assists. He is one of six Phoenix players with 10 or more points on the season.
• Matthew Jegier has played every minute of every game in goal for Elon this season, 1848 minutes, and has a 14-5-1 record with 64 saves, nine solo shutouts and 20 goals allowed.
• Elon is 1-1 against ACC competition this season. The Phoenix fell to Duke 2-1 in double overtime on Oct. 20 in Durham, and defeated Wake Forest 1-0 on Sept. 15 in Winston-Salem. The loss is one of only two suffered by the No. 1 National Seed Demon Deacons this season.

Series Notes:

• Elon has a narrow 3-2-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Tigers. Clemson won the first two contests in the matchup, in 1998 and 2003, but the Phoenix have either won or tied the most recent five.
• The two teams last met in an NCAA Tournament First-Round match on Nov. 21, 2013 in Elon, N.C. The game ended in a 1-1 double-overtime draw, but the Phoenix advanced to the NCAA Second Round on penalty kicks, 4-1. Midfielder Thales Moreno, a freshman at the time, scored Clemson’s lone goal in the game, while Andrew Tarbell played all 110 minutes in goal for the Tigers.