CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Women’s Soccer battled nationally ranked South Carolina in the season home opener on Thursday at Riggs Field to earn a 0-0 draw against the Gamecocks.
“Today was extremely positive. It was a great crowd, great atmosphere and it was an excellent game. I thought we played really quite well,” Head Coach Eddie Radwanski said. “We are just unfortunate that we didn’t stick one in but that can happen in our game but I have no reservations about our commitment, our effort, our work ethic and the quality of our play. It’s the first game of the season, I think we are going to be okay and it’s not an easy game to play when you get two rivals and two nationally ranked teams competing against each other. For me, I’m leaving the field with a good feeling.”
The Tigers came out strong on the pitch and held control of the ball for majority of the game as they finished the match with 63% possession in comparison to the Gamecocks 37% total. Multiple Tigers had solid scoring opportunities as graduate Caroline Conti tallied up three shots on goal and senior Megan Bornkamp had three total shot attempts.
Freshmans Tatum Short, Jenna Tobia and Dani Davis all started for the Tigers as that marked their first collegiate game in the Clemson uniform.
A key player for the Tigers was Goalkeeper Halle Mackiewicz, who wrapped up the match with her first clean sheet of the season. The senior recorded two saves against the Gamecocks.
“I think it’s all about confidence, we have so much confidence in her and in the air she is a complete dog,” Conti said. “Dog is the word for this year and she was a dog today.”
The final attendance for the home opener was 3,719 fans, which is the highest recorded crowd since the Tigers hosted the Gamecocks in September of 2017.
Up next, the Tigers host Gardner-Webb on Sunday, August 20th at Historic Riggs Field. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ACCNX.
For complete coverage of the Clemson women’s soccer team, follow @ClemsonWSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
