Wake Forest Defeats Clemson 3-0

Nov. 11, 2009

CARY, NC – Andy Lubahn scored two goals in leading number-one seeded and third-ranked Wake Forest to a 3-0 win over ninth-seeded Clemson in the 23rd annual Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament at Cary, NC Wednesday evening.

With the win, Wake Forest improves to 13-3-2 overall, while Clemson finishes its season with a 6-12-1 record. Wake Forest is the top seed in this year’s tournament and is ranked third nationally in the latest polls.

After a scoreless first half, Wake Forest scored early in the second half. Corben Bone sent a ball from the center of the field to Lubahn that created a one-on-one situation with the Clemson goalkeeper Joseph Bendik. Lubahn sent a shot from 13 yards out into the right corner of the netting at the 47:18 mark.

The Demon Deacons scored again in the 63rd minute. Austin da Luz passed the ball to the left from the center of the field to Zach Schilawski. Schilawski sent a diagonal pass to Lubahn who back heeled the ball into the goal from six yards out. This was Lubahn’s ninth goal of the season. Wake Forest completed the scoring in the 66th minute. Luke Norman scored his second goal of the year from 25 yards out into the lower right corner of the goal.

Clemson goalkeeper, Joseph Bendik had five saves in tonight’s game, giving him 281 career saves. The 281 career saves is third most in Clemson history. He finishes his Clemson career tied for ninth on the Clemson career list for most career wins (22) and most minutes played (5508). The Tigers defeated Virginia Tech 2-0, on Tuesday afternoon in the first round putting Clemson in the quarterfinal round. This was the first ACC Tournament victory for Clemson since 2005.

Wake Forest had 18 shots compared to Clemson’s eight. The Demon Deacons had six corner kicks and the Tigers had three.

“I’m very proud of this team this year,” said Clemson Head Coach Phil Hindson. “We never gave up in this game or during the year. “I’m very proud of this team and this coaching staff not only this season but this year as they had to endure a lot of adversity. They worked hard and did everything that I asked them to do. They never gave up the entire year and continued to work hard. In tonight’s game, we played well in the first half. However in the second half, Wake Forest was just too good for us. They have a lot of weapons.”

Wake Forest 3, Clemson 0 Wake Forest-Andy Lubahn (Corben Bone) 47:18 Wake Forest-Andy Lubahn (Zack Schilawski, Austin da Luz) 62:53 Wake Forest-Luke Norman (Unassisted) 65:05Shots: Clemson 8, Wake Forest 18Corner Kicks: Clemson 3, Wake Forest 6Saves: Joseph Bendik (CU) 5, Akira Fitzgerald (WF)3Fouls: Clemson 7, Wake Forest 8Attendance: 327