In a rematch of last year’s College Cup semifinal, No. 6 Syracuse (10-3-1, 3-2-1 Atlantic Coast) visits No. 8 Clemson (9-2-3, 3-1-2) on Friday night. With a win, the Orange would jump Clemson in the ACC Atlantic standings and put itself in a position to secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament as one of the league’s top four teams.

Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 3-1-1

Last time they played: The Tigers ended SU’s memorable run through the 2016 NCAA tournament, defeating Ian McIntyre’s side in penalty kicks to end its season. Syracuse outshot Clemson, 15-5, but neither team scored in 110 minutes and the Tigers advanced to the national title on penalty kicks. Chris Nanco had four shots on goal for SU, but Clemson goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell turned in a heroic performance and tallied eight saves on the night.

What to know about the Tigers: Clemson sits in the middle of the ACC in most offensive categories and averages 1.57 goals per game, which is right behind Syracuse’s 1.71. The Tigers just snapped a two-game winless streak with a 3-2 win against Brown. Prior to that, CU had only won once in four games. The two teams have had four common opponents this season. Clemson lost to UNC, while Syracuse tied. The Tigers and Orange both beat Virginia Tech and North Carolina State, and Clemson tied Boston College while SU beat the Eagles. Later on, the Orange plays Wake Forest and the Tigers play Louisville. SU lost to Louisville earlier in the season and Clemson beat Wake Forest.

How Syracuse beats Clemson: Get Nanco on the scoresheet. Yes, Syracuse has plenty of offensive depth to rely on other scorers, but a goal from Nanco would do wonders for not only him but a Syracuse team that hasn’t gotten a goal from its starting forward since Sept. 9 against N.C. State. Nanco has generated the fourth-most shots in the ACC but doesn’t have much to show for it. This Clemson team has seven shutouts on the year. A defense equally stingy to SU’s won’t allow too many chances, so the player that musters up the most for SU needs to finally break through on one.

Stats to know:

10 – Ten different players have scored for Clemson this year.

198 – The Tigers’ 198 fouls rank second in the ACC behind Syracuse’s 201.

40 ¬– Diego Campos has registered 40 shots this season. Nobody else on the team has more than 24.

Player to watch: Diego Campos, forward, No. 9

Campos leads Clemson with 13 points on five goals and three assists. The 5-foot-10, 166-pound junior from Costa Rica had three of Clemson’s five shots in the teams’ last meeting but didn’t take a penalty kick. He has 20 shots on goal – no other player on the team is in double digits – and has scored three game-winning goals this season.

Published on October 21, 2016 at 1:15 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman