By Katherine Cottrell
Clemson Men's Soccer will be back at Historic Riggs Field this season in the NCAA Men's College Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, December 2, at 6 p.m. Once again, the road to the College Cup passes through Clemson.
Clemson (9) defeated New Hampshire (8) in the third round of the College Cup competition on Sunday night. The Tigers had difficulty breaking through New Hampshire's defensive unit, with Clemson attempting just five total shots throughout the match. A strike by midfielder Ousmane Sylla in the 34th minute was the match's only goal.
Hours earlier, an upset occurred at Hoops Family Field in West Virginia, 856 miles from where Clemson United played in New Hampshire. Stanford (16) defeated Marshall (1) by a score of 3-1, allowing Clemson United to host the quarterfinal game at Riggs Field.
Despite winning the ACC Championship game, the Tigers entered the College Cup tournament as the 9-seed, behind ACC foes Notre Dame (2) and North Carolina (3). Clemson played one match at Riggs Field, a 3-0 win over UNC Charlotte in the second round.
"It's not who you play in the NCAA tournament," said Coach Mike Noonan on November 14, "it's where you play." The impact of Riggs Field cannot be overstated. Clemson entered this season with an all-time record of 442-114-43 at Riggs Field, and this season, the Tigers won 10 home games with an average of 2,577 attendees per game.
Some fans will call it fate. It may be luck. Either way, Clemson's road to the championship continues at home.
