Clemson, S.C. -- The seventh-ranked Clemson Tigers netted two goals in the 12th minute and cruised to a 3-0 victory over Southern Conference champion Furman in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship on Saturday evening at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, S.C.

After controlling all of the possession in the opening minutes of play, Clemson took the lead at the 11:19 mark when Paige Reckert lofted a shot from the left side that was deflected by goalkeeper Maggie Grisell.  The ball fell to the feet of Shannon Horgan as she charged towards the right side of goal and she tapped in the loose ball for the go-ahead score.

The Tigers doubled the margin just 18 seconds later and established a new school record for shortest time between goals when Abby Jones lined a through ball to the feet of Miranda Westlake who fired to the right side of the net on a one-versus-one with Grisell at 11:37.

After being held without a shot in the first 45 minutes, Furman began to win its share of possession in the early portion of the second half.  In the 57th minute, Shah served a corner kick to the near post that Stephanie DeVita headed just wide and a long ball helped Furman win another corner moments later.

The Tigers, however, took advantage of Furman pushing forward.  After Grisell made a pair of strong saves on the Tigers' counter attack, the senior was forced to make a diving stop to her left in the 66th minute that deflected to Jones.  The midfielder lined a shot through traffic for her third goal of the season to up the Tiger lead to 3-0 at 65:31.

"These eight seniors have meant so much to our program and this result definitely doesn't define out season," said Paladin head coach Andrew Burr. "We ran into a very good team tonight.  There is a reason that Clemson is the seventh-ranked team in the country.  I'm proud of how far we have come this season."

Furman finished its season at 17-5-1.  DeVita capped her career in the purple and white with a Southern Conference record 68 goals and school record 29 match-winning tallies. Grisell, who stopped nine shots in a losing effort, concluded her senior season with a 16-3-1 record in goal.

Clemson, who advanced to face Ole Miss in the second round next weekend, managed a 27-2 edge in total shots and 12-0 margin in shots on target. The Tigers won three corner kicks to the Paladins' two.



Jordan Caskey, Furman Sports Information