ACC Tournament Quarterfinals Recap
I was excited leading into the quarterfinals but the four games on Sunday far surpassed my expectations. The #3 ranked team in the country goes down to the 8th seeded team in the tournament headlines a day where three of the four contests were 1-0 games.
Wake Forest hosted Virginia Tech for the first game of the day. The first half was all Demon Deacons, outshooting the Hokies 10-2 while controlling the bulk of possession but were unable to score. In the 62nd minute though Omar Hernandez scored for Wake Forest from a set piece and that would be the difference. Both keepers were relatively untested in the 2nd half, only making one save on either side. The Demon Deacons have secured themselves the easiest route possible having faced the #12 and now, in the Semifinals, the #8 seed. The 3-0 win they picked up in their final game of the regular season against Louisville is paying off with a lighter schedule compared to the other ACC teams.
The 2nd game of the day was between #14 UVA and #24 Pitt. Reese Miller scored an early chance in the 21st minute thanks to a ball into the box from Leo Afonso. From that the Cavaliers were able to play exactly how they wanted to. They sat back and let Pitt come to them knowing that their defensive shape and style of play enables them to confidently prevent any serious chances. The other benefit came from Holden Brown and his 9-save performance, including 5 in the first half, that kept the Panthers off the board.
As you read in Sydney Staples’ article released earlier today, if you haven’t you should, the game between Syracuse and North Carolina came down to one chance from Russell Shealy launching a low driven kick into the direction of Levonte Johnson. Johnson lost control of his dribble but regained that control, beat the defender and kept the second defender on his hip which gave him enough space to tap the ball in between Saborio-Perez’s legs. The battle between two of the bests defenses in the ACC saw just 5 total shots on goal and 9 shots total. It was a close contest led by two veteran coaches where the confidence in Shealy and the unspoken communication of an exchange of glances between him and Johnson made the difference.
The final game stood out for multiple reasons. Duke lost their first game of the season for one. This, the #1 versus #8 in the ACC tournament was the only game to be 2-0 and was the only upset. Not only was it an upset, Clemson were the better side. The Tigers outshot the Blue Devils in the first half and kept pace in the 2nd half. They managed to keep Duke to just 3 shots on target despite 11 total shots. This game was hindered a bit though by a constant and persistent whistle that tallied 30 fouls. The game was very stop and go which prevent either side from getting in much of an attacking rhythm. Both goals came in the final 30 minutes. The first was from Derek Waleffe and was a solo goal while Brandon Parrish delivered a solo goal full of flair, beating the Duke defense in the final minute of play.
The Semi-Final is set and Syracuse hosting Virginia in a rematch of the Orange’s first loss of the season certainly is the more intriguing of the two matchups. While Clemson has played well this tournament and deserved to beat Duke, they do have the weakest resume of the four teams still remaining and were undoubtedly going to be the choice of opponent that Wake Forest preferred. It should still be a solid game, especially if the Tigers can carry over their current form but UVA and Syracuse will be a battle. It won’t be another eye catching game, but it’ll be a ferocious and tactical ACC battle that this conference has come to know. Last time these two teams met Jeorgio Kocevski was sent off with his 2nd yellow in the 22nd minute which put the Orange in a difficult spot. 27 fouls and 10 cautions highlighted game that was won in the 85th minute by Leo Afonso. Syracuse was far from disappointed with their effort after keeping the Cavaliers off the board for over 60 minutes despite being a man down. Should they avoid another man down situation, especially of a player as vital to their midfield as Kocevski, they should be able to have an upper hand against a Virginia squad that has increasingly sat back to play the counter as this season progressed. The game will take place at 5:00 p.m. on ACC Network ahead of the other Semifinal at 7:00 p.m..