The Tiger

Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Sports

The Clemson men and women's soccer teams took on Tobacco Road rivals last week, with the men facing the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, N.C., and the women taking on the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in Clemson. While both took on similar opponents, both squads yielded different results against the two programs known more for their basketball supremacy than anything else.
Last Friday night, the Clemson men's soccer team traveled to Durham, N.C. in hopes of carrying their momentum from a thrilling overtime victory against Virginia Tech.
The added boost would be needed against No. 22 Duke. While the outcome against the Blue Devils wasn't a win, the intensity from the Virginia Tech victory remained. They played to a scoreless tie during the total 110 minutes of play. Tiger keeper Joseph Bendik held his own against one of the top teams in the country, collecting seven saves on the night.
Duke was aggressive early and often, as they took 21 total shots on goal compared to Clemson's 11. The Blue Devils also held the edge in corner kicks taking 12 shots, compared to the Tiger's 7. With the tie, Clemson is now 2-4-2 on the season and 1-1-1 in the ACC. Duke is 4-3-1 overall and 1-1-1 in league play. Tonight, the Tigers will play host to Maryland and look to avenge a 3-2 loss suffered at College Park, Md., last season.
The loss last season was one filled with late game heroics and plenty of drama, as Clemson scored two second half goals to tie the game, before ultimately falling in the second overtime period.
The Clemson women's soccer team took on No.3 North Carolina at Historic Riggs field last Thursday night. The Lady Tigers looked promising from the start of the game when senior Julie Bolt scored the first goal of the day and seventh of the season. Bolt received a pass from Cort near the top of the box and was able to break away from the Tar Heel defense enough to send a 12-yard shot into the net to the right of the North Carolina goalkeeper.
The Lady Tigers' early signs of hope were put to rest, starting when North Carolina's Tobin Heath, when answered Bolt's goal with an unassisted goal in the 18th minute. Heath then scored in the 37th and 44th minute to complete the hat trick and give the Tar Heels a 3-1 lead heading into the half. North Carolina scored two more goals, Jessica McDonald at the 52:24 mark and Brittani Bartok at the 57:59 mark, to take a 5-1 lead.
With less than five minutes left in the game, Bolt netted her second goal of the night and eighth of the season.
The Charleston, S.C. native was assisted on the play by two freshmen, Tara Cort and Sarah Jacobs. Both players now have three assists on the year.
Despite the score, Head Coach Hershey Stosberg feels his team still put up a solid effort, "I was pleased with the way we started the game," said Strosberg.
"We talked beforehand about coming out with the right mindset and not only absorbing their hits, but taking a few swings back of our own."
With the loss, the Lady Tigers fell to 4-4 (0-1 ACC), while the Tar Heels improved to 8-1-1 (1-0 ACC). In their next match, Clemson will take on the Virginia Cavaliers at Riggs Field this Sunday at 2 p.m.

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