Pitt men’s soccer knocked out of ACC tourney by Clemson

The Pitt men’s soccer team, which is ranked 25th in the nation, faced a top-ranked Clemson team in the third round of the ACC tournament on Wednesday night, but despite high hopes on the heels of a win over NC State and the recent Top 25 ranking, the Panthers were unable to top the Tigers and fell 1-0 in South Carolina.

For much of the first half, the two sides were locked in a stalemate with no one able to break through. Clemson outshot Pitt 10-4 in the first frame, with two of those shots coming in the 30th minute. One bounced off the post and the other went high. The Tigers also got a shot past Pitt goalkeeper Arie Ammann, but Pitt defender Arturo Ordoñez fended it off.

Then, with just over a minute remaining in the first half, Clemson defender Oskar Agren sent a long pass into the box to Tanner Dieterich. Dieterich then tapped a pass over to Clemson midfielder Mohamed Seye, who knocked a shot past Ammann to give Clemson a 1-0 lead.

Despite a solid effort from Pitt in the second half, the team was unable to even the score and fell 1-0. The loss drops Pitt to 9-7-2 on the season and leaves the team out of contention for the ACC championship. Meanwhile, Clemson improves to 16-1-1 and will face Virginia in the championship on Sunday.

While Pitt is out of the ACC tournament, there is still hope for an NCAA tournament berth, given the Panthers’ high standing as the No. 25 team in the country. The team's fate will be determined on Monday.