On a drizzly Friday night at Historic Riggs Field, the Clemson Women’s Soccer team secured a victory against the Columbia Lions, winning 2-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The match kicked off with the Tigers having total control. They consistently had the ball in the attacking third of the Lions throughout the first half. Their relentless pressure kept the Lions attack at bay, allowing only one shot from Columbia in the first 45 minutes.
The breakthrough for the Tigers came in the 29th minute when Megan Bornkamp’s front post run was found by Renee Lyles who cut the ball back to her, Bornkamp then ripped a shot into the upper 90 of the net, putting Clemson ahead 1-0.
Just four minutes later, Bornkamp returned the favor, finding Lyles wide open in the center of the box. Lyles slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, extending the Tigers’ lead to 2-0 as they headed into halftime in command.
However, the Tigers dealt with the precarious nature of a two-goal lead as they struggled to convert their opportunities in the second half. Momentum shifted when Columbia found the back of the net in the 61st minute, cutting the lead in half.
Despite the momentum swing, the Tigers regained control, once again keeping the ball in the attacking third and creating chances against the Lions. With a 12-4 advantage in shots, Clemson’s dominance on all parts of the field was clear.
“We were very dominant in the first half and came away with two goals. Would’ve liked to have gotten one or two others, but we played really well, kept the pressure on Columbia. But listen, this is the NCAA Tournament, you’re not playing weak teams, they’re good teams. Credit to Columbia for resiliency and sticking in and they got themselves a goal and got back in the game. But you know we had the lead and we just kept our composure.”
Head Coach Eddie Radwanski
Neither team managed to score for the rest of the game, and Clemson successfully held onto the win.
With the victory, the Tigers are now advancing to the Sweet 16 for the ninth time in program history. Their next match is a rematch against the Georgia Bulldogs at Historic Riggs on Sunday, November 19th, with a 2 pm kickoff. Only four of the Tigers’ starters played the full 90 minutes, which is important to keep in mind with the next game just two days away.
“Well that was a little bit of the plan. We subbed probably a lot more than we normally do with that in mind. But we feel like we got the depth and the players that we can do it. It’s good experience and everybody did their job out there. Listen, we’ve got a short turn around (…) for both teams so we’ve got to do our rest and recover and get ready to come out and bring out our best on Sunday.”
Eddie Radwanski
The first match between these two teams finished in a 1-1 draw in Athens, due to Emma Wennar’s second-half equalizer. However, this time, the Tigers have the added advantage of playing on their home turf.
“[Historic Riggs], It’s one of the best venues in the country to play at and that was one of the advantages of being the number one seed, that you get to be at home on this journey. So we’re blessed and fortunate to be here and we’re looking forward to Sunday.”
Eddie Radwanski
