The No. 4-seeded Clemson Tigers moved on in the ACC Tournament thanks to a successful 4-1 penalty kick shootout on Sunday. Although the score with the No. 5-seeded Duke Blue Devils was tied up 3-3 at the end of extra time on Sunday at Historic Riggs Field, the Tigers pulled away victorious thanks to key players. Here are a few ups and downs from the game:
Paws up: Tyler Trimnal
Trimnal, a sophomore forward for Clemson, scored both of the Tigers’ goals in regulation during Sunday’s quarterfinals matchup.
Trimnal’s first goal was scored in the 11th minute of the game off an assist by senior midfielder Ousmane Sylla, giving the Tigers an early 1-0 lead. Although Duke scored two consecutive goals after his initial score, Trimnal reached the back of the net again in the 75th minute off another assist from Sylla and freshman forward Remi Okunlola.
Sunday was only Trimnal’s second game started for Clemson, and he made it count. His brace was a career-high in his two years at Clemson, and he has now reached six career goals as a Tiger. Four of Trimnal’s six goals come from the 2023-2024 season, where he has played in 13 games.
Paws down: Foul trouble
Although the Tigers were able to advance in the tournament, they struggled with fouls throughout the game, with 23 compared to Duke’s 10. Both the Tigers and Blue Devils also had troubles with yellow cards, earning three apiece for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Shawn Smart, a sophomore defender for Clemson, was called for Clemson’s first card of the game in the 27th minute, followed by freshman defender Pape Mar Boye in the 57th and redshirt sophomore defender Adam Lundegard in the 65th minute.
Thankfully for the Tigers, these fouls did not result in any ejections, and they evened their tempers for the rest of the matchup.
Paws up: Joseph Andema
Andema, a sophomore goalkeeper for the Tigers, had a strong showing against the Blue Devils with nine saves. Although Clemson gave up three goals, only two of them were attributed to Andema, as one was an own goal on the Tigers.
Andema’s performance kept the Tigers in the game in crucial moments and allowed them to reach the penalty stages, where he excelled. Andema only allowed one scored penalty on three attempts, while the Tigers converted all four of their attempts.
The Clemson keeper now has 39 saves on the season, compared to just 16 goals allowed. He also has nine wins and four ties on the season with only three losses.
