The Clemson men’s soccer team moved on to the ACC Tournament semifinals following its victorious penalty kick shootout over the No. 5-seeded Duke Blue Devils on Sunday night at Historic Riggs Field.
Extra time ended with a tied score of 3-3, but the Tigers went on to outscore Duke 4-1 in the penalty-kick period, in large part due to their offense and a standout performance from goalkeeper Joseph Andema. The successful shootout allowed Clemson to advance in the tournament.
In the second contest between the two teams this season, Clemson came out victorious thanks to a career-first brace from sophomore Tyler Trimnal, which set the Tigers up for the overtime shootout as he scored the team’s only regulation goals.
The forward’s first goal took place off an assist from midfielder Ousmane Sylla in the 11th minute. Trimnal’s second score came in the 75th minute with a header to level the score at 2-2.
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Before the game, head coach Mike Noonan called Trimnal “Tyler Ronaldo” in honor of the striker’s favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo, telling him that it was his time to show up for his team in a vital moment.
“He’s a really fine athlete and is someone that continues to grow and continues to learn. And today, he did his job,” Noonan said.
The Tigers (9-3-4, 4-2-2 ACC) were heavily aided by Andema, who stopped nine shots as well as a penalty in the shootout to ensure the team’s advancement.
Clemson struck first, but the Blue Devils (11-3-3, 4-3-1 ACC) responded towards the end of the first half after a cross was punched out too close to the net by Andema, allowing Duke forward Forster Ajago to strike the ball into the open goal and even the score at 1-1 heading into the locker room.
Duke continued its momentum in the second half, taking its first lead of the game in the 54th minute thanks to an own goal from Trimnal, who headed the ball backward into the net off an attempted clearance to put the Blue Devils up 2-1.
Despite an onslaught of shots from Duke, Andema held on long enough to allow Trimnal to respond with his equalizer.
Noonan and his team got back on top in the 94th minute thanks to a foul in the box by Duke, allowing Alex Meinhard to find the back of the net and put Clemson back in the driver’s seat, 3-2.
Just four minutes later, however, an initial Andema save was not enough to clear the ball, and Duke forward Ulfur Bjornsson smashed it home to keep the score tied up until the end of extra time.
Clemson struck home four penalties thanks to Sylla, Joran Gerbet, Gael Gibert and the finisher from midfielder Jackson Wrobel. On the other side, Andema put a stop to Bjornsson’s penalty attempt and watched Ajago’s strike miss wide.
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The win marked Clemson’s first penalty shootout victory since the College Cup semifinal two years ago when the Tigers defeated Notre Dame in penalties before winning the national championship a game later. That game featured former players such as George Marks, Oskar Asgren and Justin Malou, who were in attendance on Sunday night.
“I think their karma probably helped us,” Noonan said after the game.
Clemson will be back at Historic Riggs Field at 8 p.m. on Wednesday when they will face the No. 9-seeded Louisville Cardinals in the semifinal of the ACC Tournament.
