CLEMSON, S.C. — The No. 2 seeded Clemson Tigers took down the No. 15 seeded Duke Blue Devils in the first round of the ACC Tournament with a final score of 2-1 in a rainy midweek matchup at Historic Riggs Field. A pair of goals from junior Duncan Wilson and freshman Philip Rolke secured the win for the Tigers.
The Tigers outshot the Blue Devils, 10-9, and had a 7-4 corner kick advantage in the victory. In goal, Gaizka Garcia recorded two saves on the evening, helping to fend the Blue Devils off a late scoring push.
In the 16’, Remi Okunlola cut through Duke’s defense and sent a ball into Duke’s box, finding Wilson on the receiving end. Wilson’s first touch reached the back of the net, giving Clemson an early 1-0 lead over the Blue Devils.
Just 12’ later the Tigers were awarded a corner kick where Ransford Gyan served a ball just outside the six-yard box. Rolke headed the ball past Duke’s goalkeeper to double the Tigers’ lead. The Tigers showed the sole source of life offensively in the first half of the match.
Despite the Blue Devils having zero shots throughout the first 45’ of play, Duke opened up its scoring in the second half after playing a long ball into the box off a free kick to cut Clemson’s lead in half in the 55’. The Blue Devils stayed hot on the attack, as they barreled down the field in the 63’, but Garcia was the last line of defense making a diving save for the Tigers to maintain Clemson’s lead and ultimately secure the win.
With the win, the Tigers advance to the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament where they will face No. 7 seeded University of North Carolina on Sunday at noon. Clemson and UNC squared off earlier this year in Chapel Hill where the Tigers claimed a 2-1 win.
