LOUISVILLE, K.Y. – The Clemson women’s soccer team (6-4-2) defeated Louisville (4-5-3) 2-1 on Thursday night at Lynn Family Stadium.
“It was a good win tonight,” said Head Coach Eddie Radwanski. “Although we conceded a goal early, I thought we played really well in the first half. It was great of the girls to come back from behind. The second half was gritty with a lot of defending, so playing on the road in the ACC, it was a good night to get three points.”
“Halle was very good tonight. When we needed her the most she made a couple of really big saves. When you have an exceptional goalkeeper, she can come through like that.”
The Tigers fell behind 1-0 almost immediately in the first half when Louisville’s Patricia Ward registered a goal at the 1:17 mark.
It did not take long for Clemson to find the equalizer, as junior defender Megan Bornkamp used a header to deposit the ball into the goal during the eighth minute. This marked Bornkamp’s 50th career point and first goal of the season.
With just 10 minutes to play in the first half, senior forward Maliah Morris used an assist from Caroline Conti to give Clemson the lead. Morris found the bottom right corner of the net with a perfectly placed shot attempt off of her left foot.
In the first half, Louisville out-shot Clemson by a count of 9-7. Each team had four shots on goal.
The second half saw a battle where Clemson was able to hold their 2-1 advantage the rest of the way. Clemson shot the ball three times in the second half, while the Cardinals registered seven unsuccessful shot attempts in the same span. Four of Louisville’s second half attempts were shots on goal while Clemson had one.
Junior goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz was crucial in the Tiger’s success as she registered a season-high seven saves, four of which were in the second half. Her efforts in the net were critical in Clemson holding the lead for the final 45 minutes.
Up next, the Tigers will return home to Historic Riggs Field to take on Virginia Tech this Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. and will be streamed on ACCNX.
For complete coverage of the Clemson women’s soccer team, follow @ClemsonWSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
