Tigers Battle, Drop ACC Championship Match to Top-Seed Florida State
CARY, N.C. – After a hard-fought battle, the No. 7 Clemson Tigers dropped the ACC Championship match to top-seed Florida State. Junior Mackenize Duff netted her sixth goal of the season and freshman Dani Davis picked up her eighth assist of the year.
Davis, Duff and Halle Mackiewicz were all named to the 2023 ACC Tournament Team.
“This was a high-level game today. For me, everytime we play games like this, I know it helps our team to get better. I know talking to Brian, he feels like his team gets better as well. It is great preparation for the NCAA tournament and trying to move forward and I thought from a playing perspective, it was a great showing for women’s soccer. There were some moments where we played some great football out there, we were just unfortunate to not be able to pull out the win,” Head Coach Eddie Radwanski said.
In the first half, the Seminoles secured an early 1-0 lead six minutes into the start of the match but the Tigers were able to respond at the 28th minute mark as Duff was able to even the score. The Tigers were awarded a corner-kick, which was taken by Davis. Davis took the kick and was able to make a connection with Duff, who headed the ball towards the bottom left corner of the net, past the Florida State keeper.
The goal marked Duff’s sixth of the season, and her fourth goal scored following an assist from Davis.
In the second half, the Seminoles were able to find a second scoring opportunity as Onyi Echegini scored her second goal of the match. The Tigers worked hard both offensively and defensively in the second half as they did not allow another opportunity for the Seminoles and attempted four total shots. After completing the second 45 minute battle, the Tigers were unable to find the back of the net and the Seminoles took the win, 2-1.
The Tigers finished the match with four total corner-kicks, two more than Florida State and Mackiewicz picked up four saves.
Following their appearance in the championship match, this Tiger team officially makes history as they become the first group to play in the final round of the ACC Championship since 2002. The Tigers finish their ACC postseason run with an overall record of 15-3-3, improving from last season’s record of 8-5-5.
Up next, the Tigers postseason run continues as they will begin to prepare for the NCAA Tournament. Clemson’s seeding and opponent for the first round of the tournament will be announced on Monday, November 6th during the NCAA Selection Show. The selection show airs at 4 p.m. and will be streamed on NCAA.com.
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