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Irish Fall To Top-Seeded Clemson In ACC Quarterfinals

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame fell to top-seeded Clemson on Sunday evening by a score of 3-0 at Riggs Field in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

The Irish will see their NCAA Tournament path at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 18, as the 48-team bracket will be announced on NCAA.com.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Clemson controlled much of the possession in the first half but the Irish managed to put more shots on target than the hosts by a mark of 3-2 and the game was scoreless going into the half.

Felicien Dumas recorded the first shot on target of the match, collecting a pass near midfield and then dribbling in and fired a shot from outside the box that was knocked down by the Clemson keeper.

In the 28th minute Dumas had his second opportunity of the half, as he cut in from the left flank and hit a rocket but the Clemson keeper made a diving save to keep the Irish off the board. Minutes later Notre Dame goalkeeper Duncan Turnbull made was called into action for the first time of the evening, making an acrobatic save off a shot from a corner.

The best chance of the half came right before the break for Notre Dame. John Rea ran onto a ball and was one-on-one with the keeper but the Clemson goalie managed to come off his line and make a save, sending the match into the half with a 0-0 score line.

The Tigers found the breakthrough goal in the 54th minute. The Irish were whistled for a foul just outside the edge of the box and managed to score from a shot on the ensuing possession to take a 1-0 lead.

Clemson scored their second goal of the night on a penalty kick, as the head official awarded the kick from the spot after calling Philip Quinton for a handball in the box. The ref also gave Quinton a straight red card for the play.

The hosts added a third goal in the 84th minute against the 10-men Irish to make the final score 3-0.

HEAD COACH CHAD RILEY’S TAKE

On the team’s performance…
“Credit to Clemson. They are a good team and played well on the night and best of luck to them moving forward. I am proud of our group. We started the second half well. In the first half we created some good chances and their keeper came up with some key saves. I thought we defended well.

“In the second half I thought we were a bit more aggressive and playing well. We gave a set piece away from an interesting moment that got the momentum going for them. Clemson is a good team and they kept pressure on us but for the most part I thought we handled it well. Then to give up the penalty that was a tough goal to give up.

“Obviously I am proud of our team. This game will hurt for a few hours but we are really looking forward to our NCAA selection and excited about the next team we get to compete against.”

UP NEXT

The Irish will see their NCAA Tournament path at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 18, as the 48-team bracket will be announced on NCAA.com.

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