CLEMSON, S.C. – Behind Mackenzie Duff’s goal just two minutes into the game and Halle Mackiewicz’s record-breaking shutout, the No. 3 seed Clemson Tigers downed the No. 6 seed Wake Forest at Historic Riggs Field in the first round of the ACC Tournament. With the win, the Tigers advance to the ACC Semifinals, held in Cary, N.C., and will take on No. 2 seed Notre Dame on Thursday.
“I thought our concentration was very good across the whole game but especially in the second half. I thought our overall team defending was solid, look, we got another shutout. We played a good team tonight, we always have close games with Wake Forest and I think games like this help you when you are in a tournament or in the NCAA’s because you get tested in different ways. This was a good challenge for our group and I thought we passed it really well,” Head Coach Eddie Radwanksi said.
Mackiewicz earned her 13th shutout of the year, breaking the 24-year-old record of 12 set by Katie Carson in 1999. It was also her 22nd shutout of her career. The Broomfield, Colo., native helped keep the Wake Forest offense off the board, making three saves on the night.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without my team, obviously and I feel like with our team this year, we just have a lot of chemistry and we are in a good place. We are always laughing and having a good time so it’s been really special to do it with this group of people,” Mackiewicz said.
Duff started the match off strong, as she netted a goal at the one minute and 48 second mark. Dani Davis kicked the ball just outside the 18-yard-box but a Demon Deacon was able to take control of the ball in the air and attempted to kick it out of the box. Duff found possession of the ball and was in perfect scoring opportunity as she fired the ball towards the right side of the net, just past the Wake Forest keeper.
Up next, the Clemson Tigers will head to Cary, N.C. to compete in the semifinal round of the ACC Championships on Thursday, November 2nd. Clemson will face-off against No. 2 seed Notre Dame marking the two teams second meeting of the season. Kick-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and will be streamed on the ACC Network.
