Brandon Rink

brandon.rink@independentmail.com

Mike Noonan just wants his team to play ‘Clemson soccer,’ and given the results lately, there’s no arguing with that.

The No. 3 Clemson men’s team (14-3-5) is hosting a second consecutive Elite 8 match, where they will meet No. 4 University of Denver (19-0-3) on Riggs Field at 7 p.m. on Friday.

The Tigers seek a second-straight College Cup appearance, which would be an eighth in school history – and beyond that, they look to take aim at a third national title.

Clemson’s contributors this season, particularly on the attack, are upperclassmen who are no strangers to success in the Orange and White. Seniors Austen Burnikel and Alex Happi have accounted for all of the Tigers’ NCAAs scoring so far, with two and three goals respectively.

“There are a lot of similarities,” Noonan said, comparing the 2015 and 2016 runs. “We’ve got senior leadership in the team. A little bit of luck always helps. More than anything else, you talk about the words resiliency and relentlessness – that is what our team is made of and that’s what Clemson soccer is about.”

The Tigers have come out unbeaten in seven overtime matches this season, including a 2-1 win over rival South Carolina to open their NCAA Tournament. Of their 14 wins, 12 have come by one goal with top-10 victories over No. 8 Creighton (1-0) and at No. 7 Louisville (1-0), as well as advancing in the ACC Tournament on penalty kicks versus No. 6 Syracuse.

Clemson lost out on its try for a second ACC title in three seasons with a 3-1 loss to No. 2 Wake Forest in the conference finals. Rated No. 2 in RPI in a league with five teams ranked in the top-10, Noonan sees a battle-tested group at this stage.

“It’s obviously the strongest conference year-in and year-out,” Noonan said. “When you have to play against that type of competition…That prepares you for times like this. We’ve been on this stage every week.”

Denver finished the regular season unbeaten in back-to-back seasons, which was the first time in Division I since Clemson accomplished the same in 1977-78. The Summit League champions own three wins over teams currently in the top-16 nationally – four in the top-25.

Pioneers sophomore forward Andre Shinyashiki leads his team with eight goals, and seven of those have come in the last eight games.

“They’re an exceptional team,” Noonan said. “Anybody that can go through a Division I season without a loss is someone we’ve got to really plan for...I’m confident in our group. Our group is in a good place right now and I expect another outstanding performance on Friday night.”

Denver is set to play its first game outside of its home field since Oct. 29 (a tie versus Omaha), and a home-field advantage has played a factor for the Tigers in recent years.

Clemson has earned at least a point in all but one of its last 10 home matches and advanced in seven-straight home postseason games.

“Playing here at Clemson we have some of the best fans in the country and they show up every time we play,” Burnikel said. “The louder they get, the better we play.”

Follow Brandon Rink on Twitter @BRink_AIM