Georgia Faces Clemson in NCAA Third Round Sunday

(4) Georgia (13-4-5, 4-3-3 SEC) vs. (1) Clemson (17-3-3, 7-2-1 ACC)
Date: Sunday, Nov. 19
Time: 2 p.m. EST
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Site: Historic Riggs Field (6,500)

MEDIA INFORMATION
TV / Stream: ESPN+ (Fred Cunningham, PxP / Kevin Kennedy, Analyst) [Paid subscription is required for viewing]
Live Stats: NCAA.com
X: @UGASoccer
Instagram: @UGASoccer

Social Media: For complete information on Georgia soccer, follow the team on its social media channels via @UGASoccer on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: Clemson leads 9-3-1
In Athens: Clemson leads 4-1-1
In Clemson: Clemson leads 5-1-1
Neutral: Georgia leads 1-0-0
Last Meeting: T, 1-1 (Sept. 10, 2023 – Athens, Ga.)
Current Streak: T1
GF / GA: 14 / 23

QUICK KICKS
Second Time with the Tigers
Fourth-seeded Georgia plays in the NCAA Third Round for only the second time in program history as it takes on Clemson Sunday. In the Bulldogs' previous Sweet 16 appearance in 1998, they fell at Dartmouth, 2-1, closing out the careers of the program's inaugural senior class. Sunday's match is the second meeting this season between Georgia and Clemson, with the teams playing to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 10 in Athens. Redshirt freshman midfielder Summer Denigan scored her first career goal in the 50th minute before Emma Wenner equalized in the 70th minute. Additionally, this will be the third NCAA Tournament meeting between the schools with Clemson prevailing, 1-0, in the 1997 first round before Georgia won, 2-1, in the 2003 first round. This will be Georgia's ninth tournament match against an ACC opponent, the most of any other opponent (2-5-1).

Hawkeye Havoc
Georgia advanced to its second Sweet 16 in program history with a wild 3-2 victory over Iowa Friday in the Second Round. After the teams combined for three shots on goal in the first hour, a scoring barrage sent the match into chaos for the final third of play. In the 60th minute, Nicole Vernis deposited a terrific cross from Virginia Odom, the first assist of her career, but Iowa responded two minutes later with the equalizer. Soon after, Taylor Rish took advantage of a fallen Hawkeye defender to post her first goal of the season, followed later by a score by Denigan. Despite a late goal from Iowa, Georgia was able to hold on and advance in the tournament.

A Stout Schedule
Georgia has faced one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2023, beginning with a road match against No. 1 UCLA, followed by contests with ranked UCF, Clemson, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky squads. Georgia is also the only Power 5 program in the country to face an opponent from each of the other four leagues. The schedule currently rates as the fifth-toughest in the nation with an opponent winning percentage of .641.

Dawg Bites

Following five losses by the conference on Friday, Georgia and Mississippi State remain the only SEC teams remaining in the tournament. Both teams have matched program bests with Sweet 16 appearances.
With a win over Clemson, Georgia would post two wins over top-10 opponents for the first time in program history.
The Iowa win extended Georgia's unbeaten streak to six in a row, following a seven-match streak earlier in the season. This is the second-consecutive season with two unbeaten streaks of five or more matches.
The SEC Championship victory was the 300th win in program history. Also, this year's team has eclipsed the 2007 team for most postseason wins in a season (5) and the 1997 team for most non-conference wins (9).
Nicole Vernis has converted three penalty kicks this season, the most for a Bulldog since Alexa Newfield went 5-for-5 in the 2011 season.
Junior defender Jessie Dunn remains the iron woman among Georgia field players, tallying 90 minutes in 19 matches this season. Dunn has played a full 90 in 27 of her last 31 matches, including 110 against Texas A&M, and now leads the team in consecutive starts at 30 following Ellie Gilbert's season-ending knee injury against Tennessee.
With the Iowa win, Georgia improved to 10-1 this season when scoring twice, while the win brought it to 10-2 in one-score matches. Georgia also holds a 8-1 record this season when leading at the half. In all five of the Bulldogs' ties, the score was knotted at the half (1-1-5).
Goalkeeper Jordan Brown has now entered the program's top 10 in saves, shutouts, starts, and minutes, and currently has the third-lowest GAA in program history (0.95).

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Brown

Summer Denigan

Jessie Dunn

Ellie Gilbert

Virginia Odom

Taylor Rish

Nicole Vernis