With just 72 minutes left in the regular season, disaster struck Clemson men’s soccer.
Clemson’s third-year starting goalie, Joseph Andema, was injured in a collision while trying to clear an attacking player, and his lower leg was soon immobilized in an air cast.
In a pivotal moment for the Tigers, Patrick Donovan — a backup goalkeeper with only 15 minutes of collegiate play under his belt — was called in to protect Clemson’s goal.
Despite being thrust into action straight from the bench, Donovan’s performance was steady. He held firm, securing a 2-2 draw against Virginia Tech and clinching the No. 2 seed for Clemson in the ACC tournament.
The Westport, Connecticut, native tallied three saves that game, coming through when the Tigers needed him most.
“He was great against Virginia Tech, and that’s what the team is about,” head coach Mike Noonan said. “The cliché is ‘next man up,’ well, he saved three breakaways when we didn’t play well.”
The Louisville match marked Donovan’s first collegiate start, the culmination of nearly three years of preparation as the Tigers’ backup goalkeeper. He seized the opportunity, making five saves, including some acrobatic diving stops, to secure a 3-1 win for Clemson to advance to the quarterfinals.
“Patrick has been outstanding the last two games,” midfielder Joran Gerbet said. “He’s always been prepared. Even in training, when he wasn’t starting, he was always prepared — scouting, first in the locker room. I’m not surprised by his performance.”
Noonan, who’s known Donovan since he was a child, echoed this sentiment.
“He came in tonight and made some great saves, but more than anything else, he was composed,” Noonan said. “That’s not easy to do when you’re getting your first start at home after waiting 3.5 years. I’m really proud of him.”
Noonan’s connection to Donovan runs deep, extending beyond soccer. He’s known the Donovan family since Patrick was born. So long, in fact, that he recalls sitting close to the family at church in Connecticut.
“We’ve grown up with the Donovan family,” Noonan said. “They were in pew five, and we were in pew six at the Catholic church.”
After the game, Noonan shared that he’d spoken with Patrick’s dad, Dan.
“I’ve got a lot of texts about Pat Donovan right now,” Noonan added.
Donovan’s story continued to unravel last Sunday when he earned his first career clean sheet in Clemson’s 1-0 win over Stanford, a victory that punched the Tigers’ ticket to the ACC semifinals in Cary, North Carolina.
It was a statement game, some may say a shot at redemption after an earlier season loss to the Cardinal in September.
“I’m so proud of Patrick,” defender Adam Lundegard said. “He’s been ready for this moment ever since he got here. He’s prepared like he’s been the starter since day one, and when his chance finally came, he was ready for it. His first clean sheet as a Clemson Tiger, I’m so proud of him.”
In his brief time as Clemson’s starting goalkeeper, Patrick Donovan has proven he’s more than ready to step up when his team needs him most.
Now, he’ll need to keep that momentum going as the Tigers head to Cary, North Carolina, to face Cal in the ACC tournament semifinals on Thursday, aiming to defend last year’s ACC title.
