Bulldogs Wrap Up Regular Season, Fall 1-0 at Clemson
November 04, 2008 | Men's Soccer
The Bulldogs held on as long as possible Tuesday night, but the Tigers weren't to be denied on senior night as they dropped the ‘Dogs 1-0 on their home turf. Clemson's Michael Brooks scored the game-winning goal in the 64th minute, 20 minutes after the Bulldogs were forced to play a man down due to a red card in the first half. The loss drops Gardner-Webb to 6-11 on the season, while Clemson moves to 6-8-2 overall.
Senior goalkeeper Dane Geraci began the match strong, notching two of his seven saves in the first seven minutes of action. Not long after Geraci's second save, fellow senior Bradley Morrison had a crack on goal for the Bulldogs but Clemson's keeper made a nice save to keep the match scoreless. Clemson put up several more chances on goal throughout the first half, but Geraci held his own and was able to keep the Tigers scoreless in the first half of play.
A major turn for the Bulldogs came in the 38th minute of action. Newcomer Kevin Nolan, who had already received one yellow card earlier in the match, was dealt with a second yellow and ejected from the match, forcing Gardner-Webb to finish the game with only 10 players.
Despite being a man down, the Bulldogs played better in the second half. They managed to split with Clemson in the shots category, 6-6, and were also able to position themselves with three corner kick opportunities in the second half.
Junior Logan Swaim almost put the ‘Dogs up 1-0, but Clemson's goalie pounced on the shot to record his only save of the second half. Just seconds after Swaim's shot, the Tigers pushed the ball up the field and Brooks was able to capitalize on his only shot of the match. Brooks' goal proved to be the game-winner as both teams were held scoreless the rest of the match.
Gardner-Webb will have ample time to rest, its next match coming in the Big South's Conference Tournament on November 13-16. The standings are not finalized as of yet, some teams still needing to finish up conference play before the brackets can be drawn up. As of right now, the Bulldogs hold 3rd place in the Big South with a 5-3 record.
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