Notre Dame men's soccer can't capitalize in College Cup loss to Clemson
After navigating earlier rounds of the NCAA Tournament and defeating Oregon State to clinch its spot in the College Cup final, No. 2 Notre Dame men's soccer came up short Monday night against No. 9 Clemson, a familiar foe.
The Tigers, who lost at Notre Dame by one goal in September, flipped the script in a 2-1 victory for the national championship at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Ky.,
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This Clemson team delivered Notre Dame (13-3-6) a season-ending loss just as previous versions did in the 2021 College Cup semifinals and 2022 ACC Tournament.
Entering Monday's College Cup final, Notre Dame’s offense had scored at least two goals in five of its last six outings, but the shots wouldn't fall against Clemson (15-3-5). The Irish scored only one goal — a penalty kick from senior defender Paddy Burns — in the second-to-last minute of the contest.
Head coach Chad Riley's squad finished with 15 shots including five on goal. Senior forward Daniel Russo was Notre Dame's main aggressor with four shots, while Burns and junior forward Matthew Roou trailed with three shots apiece. Burns and junior defenders Josh Ramsey and Kyle Genenbacher were the only three starters on the Irish that played a full 90 minutes.
Although Notre Dame had several entries close to the goal, the Irish couldn’t convert against Clemson’s defense led by sophomore goalkeeper Joseph Andema. The Tigers were called for 17 fouls and combated Notre Dame's tempo and advancement of the ball with physicality.
Clemson's offense was led by senior midfielders Brandon Parrish and Ousmane Sylla, who scored the Tigers' goals in the first and second halves, respectively. Sylla's shot was assisted by senior forward Alex Meinhard.
Riley started senior goalkeeper Bryan Dowd, who had a 12-2 record before the loss. Dowd finished with one save, his lowest total since the Irish defeated Pittsburgh in October.
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