Conference tournament action was in full swing on Wednesday, particularly in Cary, N.C., as a full day of ACC Tournament action dominated proceedings.
Up first was Maryland vs. Clemson, as the Tigers looked to cling on to their faint tournament dreams. The Terrapins jumped out to an early lead, when Billy Cortes corralled a loose ball off a corner kick, took a touch and fired a low drive into the net.
Clemson equalized through Austin Savage, who got on the end of a low, driven cross to deflect it past Zac MacMath’s near post.
But Casey Townsend fired back early in the second half, nodding a high, looping cross from Cortes past the diving Clemson ‘keeper Cody Mizell. That was all it took to send the Terps onto the next round with a 2-1 win.
Wake Forest took the field next, playing for their postseason lives against Virginia. Despite the desperation, Wake couldn’t turn any offense into goals, and a Hunter Jumper goal early in the second half was enough to give the Cavaliers the 1-0 win. The Deacons’ elimination saw them drop to 8-9-2 on the season, destroying any hope of an NCAA Tournament berth.
The last quarterfinal matchup of the day saw Boston College (10-3-5) squeak past Duke (9-4-4) by a 1-0 score line. Junior Amit Burmad scored in the 17th minute – BC’s only shot on goal of the night – and held on thanks to some tidy saves from goalie Justin Luthy.
The win earned the Eagles a semifinal date with ACC tournament top seed UNC, which blew out rival North Carolina State on the back of an Enzo Martinez brace. Michael Farfan also chipped in a goal in the 4-0 rout of the Wolfpack.
Big West
The upset of the day took place in the Big West, when top-seeded UC Irvine lost 2-1 to Cal State Fullerton in the conference tournament. The Titans got their two goals off their first two shots of the game.
Cal State Fullerton will play UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Tournament Final, as the Gauchos were able to come from behind to beat Cal Poly 2-1. Nic Ryan tallied a 98th minute goal in overtime to send UCSB through.
Conference USA
Semifinal matchups are now set in the C-USA tournament, as South Carolina and Tulsa advanced.
No. 4 seed South Carolina needed a Blake Brettschneider goal in the 82nd minute to beat UAB 2-1, while No. 6 seed Tulsa routed Kentucky 5-0.
America East
For the second straight season, University of Maryland-Baltimore County will play New Hampshire in the America East tournament – this time in the final. Senior Levi Houapeu scored twice and the Retrievers came from behind to beat Stony Brook 3-1.
In the other semifinal, New Hampshire upset Boston University 1-0 in overtime.
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