The Clemson Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the men’s soccer ACC tournament following their 2-1 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday, Nov. 7.
North Carolina opened the scoring in the first half at the 19:52 mark after a Clemson turnover when forward Santiago Herrera nicely placed a ball in the bottom corner of the net under the extended leg of Clemson goalkeeper George Marks.
Clemson answered the UNC goal at the 36:18 minute mark when midfielder Ousmane Sylla laid a ball off for forward Isaiah Reid that Reid struck from the top of the box and under the reach of North Carolina goalkeeper Alec Smir.
Clemson scored the go-ahead goal at the 75:06 mark in the second half, when defender Charlie Asensio sent a beautiful cross-pass to midfielder Quinn McNeill that McNeill headed into the back of the net.
It was a fairly even contest throughout the game by both sides. McNeill’s goal was all that was needed for the Tigers to secure a victory as Clemson’s defense stood strong in the second half, holding North Carolina scoreless.
Both goalkeepers, Marks and Smir, finished the game with four saves each, and Clemson had six shots on goal compared to North Carolina’s five.
Clemson will host Duke on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in the semifinals of the ACC tournament — as the Tigers look to continue their pursuit of a second consecutive ACC championship.