Clemson Beats No. 4 Seed Notre Dame to Advance to ACC Semifinals

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Clemson women’s soccer team (12-5-1, 6-3-1 ACC) battled for a 3-2 win at the No. 4 seed No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-5-1, 7-3 ACC) on Sunday night at Alumni Stadium in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The fifth-seeded Tigers capitalized on each of their two first-half shots on goal and held on to secure the victory.

Clemson struck early when in the 12th minute Caroline Conti took a pass from Renee Lyles down the left wing and entered the box just a few yards from the goal line. Despite having almost no angle, she snuck the ball past the Fighting Irish keeper into the near side of the net.

In the 25th minute, Renee Guion played a cross into Megan Bornkamp, who directed her volley downwards and into the left side of the net to double the Tigers lead. The assist marked Guion’s 13th of the season, tying an all-time Clemson record. Notre Dame did manage to score before halftime, sending the game into the second frame at a score of 2-1, Clemson.

Makenna Morris opened the second-half scoring to improve the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 with just over 30 minutes remaining in the match. Notre Dame would not go down without a fight, as the Fighting Irish won and converted on a penalty kick with just under ten minutes remaining, but Hensley Hancuff and the Clemson back line were able to turn away any hopes of an equalizer. 

“To beat a good Notre Dame team on its home field is a good statement for our team,” said proud Head Coach Eddie Radwanski. “Our girls showed up ready to play. We scored some very good goals. At moments it was some of our best performances that we’ve seen, so hopefully it’s a sign that we’re peaking.”

Next up, Clemson will play No. 1 seed Virginia on Friday, November 5 in the ACC semifinals in Cary, N.C. The match will kick off at 5:30 p.m. and is slated to stream on ACC Network.