No. 6 Clemson Ties at No. 17 Virginia In Six-Goal Shootout

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In a six-goal shootout, the sixth-ranked Clemson men’s soccer team and 17th-ranked Virgina each earned a hard-fought, 3-3 tie in their second ACC matches of the year. The Tigers move to 3-1-1 (0-1-1 ACC).

The match started quickly in favor of Virginia when senior forward Salandy-Defore capitalized on a Clemson defensive miscue to give the Cavaliers an early 1-0 advantage. In the 19th-minute freshman, Malick Mbaye recorded his first career goal as a Clemson Tiger to even the score at one a piece after a scramble inside the six-yard box. Juniors Diego Campos and Michael Melvin were tallied with the assist off the corner kick. In the 32nd-minute Clemson countered off a Virginia corner kick resulting in senior Austen Burnikel’s second goal of the year. Grayson Raynor played a through ball between two Virginia defenders when Burnikel chipped the keeper first time from ten yards out to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. In the 39th-minute senior Oliver Shannon played a dangerous ball across the Virginia box that deflected into the goal that was ruled as an own goal, resulting in a 3-1 lead for the Tigers heading into the half.

In the second half, chippy play between the two ACC foes continued with many fouls called in the first five minutes of play. In the 57th-minute Salandy-Defour of UVA grabbed his second goal of the match and the season to bring the score to 3-2 in favor of the Tigers. After 25 minutes, play slowed down as the Tigers continued to hold onto a 3-2 lead over No. 17 Virginia. With ten minutes remaining No. 17 Virgina was handed a penalty kick and was able to capitalize bringing the score to 3-3 forcing overtime at Klöckner Stadium.

With tired legs, the first overtime period began sluggishly with the fouls stacking up quickly. Both teams had their chances, but it was not enough to clinch the match in the first overtime. In the second overtime, there were dangerous chances for both sides but 110 minutes was not enough to separate the two sides.

“Another tough ACC game. It was a tale of two halves in many regards,” said Head Coach Mike Noonan. “I thought our mentality wavered a bit in the second half. I was proud of the resilient way we finished the game after they equalized and through overtime. It has been a tough first five matches but we continue to grow and learn as a team.”

In the match, Clemson recorded 12 shots while No. 17 Virginia racked up 18 shots. Ximo Miralles tallied five saves and Caldwell of UVA grabbed three saves in the match.

Clemson returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 7:00 p.m. against Gardner-Webb at Historic Riggs Field. Tickets may be purchased at the gate before the match, or online at ClemsonTigers.com.