Tigers to Play Host to #12 Notre Dame for Senior Day Sunday Afternoon

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson women’s soccer team will play its final regular season home game at Historic Riggs Field on Sunday when it plays host to 12^th-ranked Notre Dame.  The game between the Tigers and the Irish will kick off at 1:00 PM and will be broadcast live on ESPN3 on ClemsonTigers.com.

Prior to the game, Clemson will honor its seven seniors – Brittany Beaumont, Morgan Hert, Hailey Karg, Erica Kim, Vanessa Laxgang, Tabitha Padgett and Deana Sherry – before their final home game.

Sunday’s game against the Irish, ranked #12 nationally by Soccer America and #20 by the NSCAA, will be Clemson’s sixth out of the last eight contests against teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation.  In the most recent poll released by the NSCAA on October 22, four out of the top five teams in the country are from the ACC (#1 Virginia, #3 Florida State, #4 Virginia Tech and #5 North Carolina.)  In addition, 11 ACC teams are in the top 64 of the latest RPI rankings, including the Tigers, who are currently 44^th.

The Tigers have a 7-6-4 overall record and a 4-5-2 mark in ACC play, and are coming off a 2-0 loss to fourth-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Thursday.  Kailen Sheridan posted eight saves in the game against the Tar Heels and now has 61 on the season for Clemson.  The freshman has a .813 save percentage, which ranks third among all conference goalkeepers, and also has seven solo shutouts, which places her in a tie for second in the ACC in that category.

Senior midfielder Vanessa Laxgang leads the Tigers in goals and points with five and 12, respectively on the season.  Freshman forward Catrina Atanda ranks second on the team in both categories with four goals and eight points, while freshman midfielder Tori Andreski leads the team in assists with four.

Notre Dame is 10-5-1 overall and, and its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, has a 6-4-1 record in league play.  The Irish defeated Boston College by a score of 3-1 in South Bend on Thursday.  Lauren Bohaboy leads Notre Dame in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points.  Kaela Little has 53 saves in 16 games in goal for the Irish so far this year.

Sunday’s game will be the first meeting between Clemson and Notre Dame in women’s soccer.