Corvallis, Ore. — The Clemson men’s soccer team advanced to its ninth college cup with a comeback victory against No. 1 Oregon State (14-2-4) that took penalties to decide. George Marks made two penalty saves, and his save on the Beavers’ fifth attempt ultimately sent Clemson to Cary for the semifinal. Each Tiger that stepped to the penalty spot made his attempt. The match ended 1-1 in overtime and the Tigers came out on top of the penalty shootout 4-3.
With just six minutes left in the match, the Tigers seemed to be destined for a season-ending defeat, but Oskar Ågren drew a penalty which Pipe Fernandez buried into the back of the net, sending Clemson to its second overtime match of the NCAA Tournament.
After a steady Oregon State attack in the first 30 minutes of the match, the Beavers got on the board when a corner kick found the head of Sofiane Djeffal. There was controversy as to whether or not George Marks stopped the ball before it crossed the goal line, but the effort was ruled a goal.
Clemson gathered some momentum in its pursuit of an equalizer. A few set pieces provided opportunities for the Tigers to get the game’s second goal, but they were unable to convert. Notably, a free kick just inches outside the penalty area was blocked by the wall, and the Tigers went into the second half still searching for a shot on target. Oregon State earned six corners to Clemson’s three in the first frame.
The Tigers continued pushing in the second half to find the equalizer. Clemson seized its best opportunity of the match in the 85th minute as senior Oskar Ågren drew a foul in the Oregon State penalty box. Senior midfielder Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador calmly walked up to the spot and crushed the ball into the upper left corner of the net to push the Tigers to overtime.
Freshman Tim Ströbeck took a dangerous shot on goal in the final minute of the first overtime and 100th minute of the match, but Beaver goalkeeper Adrian Fernandez came up with the save to push the Elite Eight battle to double overtime.
The final 10 minutes were not enough for either team to score and the Tigers and Beavers went to penalty kicks.
Senior goalkeeper George Marks shined yet again in the net, coming up huge for the Tigers and saving two of the Beaver’s penalty kicks while Isaiah Reid, Oskar Ågren, Hamady Diop and Justin Malou were all perfect from the penalty spot. Both of Marks’s saves came on diving efforts to the senior keeper’s right-hand side.
“Incredibly happy and proud of the team,” says Head Coach Mike Noonan. “Oregon State is a quality team that was deserving of the #1 ranking. We got stronger as the game went on, and I felt it fitting that we prevailed to advance. We spoke all week about doing something very hard. Trust, belief in each other and hard work carried the Tigers tonight. We couldn’t be happier to represent Clemson and the ACC in this year’s College Cup.”
Up next, Clemson will head to the College cup for the ninth time in school history and take on ACC foe Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament semifinal on December 10. The match will be broadcast on ESPNU and will kickoff at either 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.
Oregon State houses the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Joran Gerbet, who has logged the fourth-most minutes (1,732) for his team in his debut season. Joining Djeffal, Mondi, and Gerbert on the First Team All-Pac-12 is Tsiki Ntsabeleng. The Beavers had three additional players on Second Team All-Pac-12 (Adrian Crespo, Gael Gilbert, and Adrian Molina-Diaz) and two additional players receiving honorable mention (Adrian Fernandez and Carlos Moliner.
The winner of the game between Clemson and Oregon State will face the winner of No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh. Should the Tigers move to the Final Four, the match will be played on December 10 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
Clemson is 7-6-1 in Round of 8 games. A Clemson victory would secure its 9th NCAA Final Four appearance, tying North Carolina for all-time most NCAA Final Four appearances. The last time the Tigers appeared in the Final Four of the NCAA was in 2015, a match the Tigers lost to Stanford.
The match will stream on the Pac-12 Network. For information on how to watch, follow this link: Pac-12 Network. At the top of the page, click “How to watch” and determine the best means to stream the game for any set of circumstances.
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson men’s soccer, please visit ClemsonTigers.com and follow @ClemsonMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.
HISTORIC RIGGS FIELD COVID-19 FAN ATTENDANCE POLICY
STADIUM SAFETY MEASURES
- Face coverings are strongly encouraged.
- Fans should be considerate of others and utilize proper cheering etiquette. Screaming, hugging, and high-fiving may not be welcomed physical interactions amongst strangers this season. Guests need to be aware of their surroundings and the safety of others.
- If you are ill or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home.
PARKING
- Parking is available anywhere on campus, most notably behind the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility and at Fike Recreation Center.
