Men's Soccer Set For NCAA Third Round Match At Clemson

Kick-Off

The Friars will kick-off against the Clemson Tigers on Dec. 1 at 6:00 p.m. for the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament. The game will be held Riggs Field in Clemson, S.C.

ACC Network Extra

The Friars' NCAA Third Round game against Clemson will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX). Links to the broadcast are available via Friars.com in the men's soccer schedule.

Providence in the Big Dance

The Friars are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. It is the fourth time in the last seven seasons that Providence has been selected to participate in the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA All-Time Record

Providence is 11-7-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Friars are 8-3-1 under Head Coach Craig Stewart.

NCAA Third Round All-Time

Providence has advanced to the NCAA Tournament Third Round for the third time in program history. The Friars hold a 2-0-0 record in Third Round games. Providence last advanced to the Third Round in 2016 with a 2-1 win over Creighton. Head Coach Craig Stewart is 2-0-0 in Third Round games, advancing in 2014 and 2016.

In the Polls

Providence made its season debut in the United Soccer Coaches' Top-25 on Nov. 19 with a No. 21 ranking. The Friars were receiving votes the previous week, but a runner-up finish in the BIG EAST Conference Championship helped pave the way to a spot in the poll.

Taking on the Tigers

Providence is 0-2-0 all-time against Clemson. The two teams last met on Aug. 28, 2016. On that day, the Friars lost to the Tigers, 2-1.

Common Opponents

The Friars and the Tigers have not played any common opponents during the 2019 season.

Trevor Davock Performs In Post Season

Trevor Davock has come alive for the Friars in the post season, either scoring or earning an assist on each of the program's five goals in the NCAA Tournament. In their NCAA Second Round win over No. 15-seed Penn State, Davock recorded a season-high four points. He scored the golden goal in overtime and assisted on each of Providence's goals in regulation. In Providence's 2-0 win over NJIT in the First Round, Davock scored the game-winning goal and tallied an assist to give him three points.

Friars in the BIG EAST Tournament

Providence hosted Marquette in the BIG EAST First Round on Nov. 9. The Friars earned their 10th shutout of the season, defeating the Golden Eagles, 3-0. Esben Wolf scored the eventual game winner in the 29th minute off of a corner kick from Joao Serrano. Trevor Davock increased the lead in the 62nd minute, finishing a Danny Griffin rebound. Paulo Lima capped the game with a 79th minute goal. The Friars outshot Marquette, 13-5. Austin Aviza made two saves in the match.

Providence then went on the road to face No. 2 seed St. John's in the BIG EAST Semifinals (Nov. 13). The Friars prevailed with a 2-1 victory. Second-half goals from Paulo Lima and Davis Smith were the difference. Lima's goal game in the 50th minute off of a corner kick taken by Joao Serrano. Smith's tally came in the 87th minute, as he knocked home a rebound in front. Danny Griffin and Trevor Davock both assisted the play. Aviza made four saves for the Friars, who outshot the Red Storm 16-10 in the match.

The Friars returned to the Championship game for the fifth time in program history, and faced Georgetown for the title on Nov. 17. Providence fell to the Hoyas, 3-1. Tiago Mendonca scored the first goal of the game in the 14th minute to put the Friars up early. Esben Wolf and Joao Serrano both assisted the play. The Hoyas scored three unanswered goals in the second half to take the win.

Scouting the Friars

Providence currently sits at 16-6 overall. The Friars finished BIG EAST Conference play with a 6-3 record and entered the post-season as the No. 3 seed. Trevor Davock leads the squad offensively with six goals and eight assists for 20 total points. Lima (18 points) and Serrano (17 points) rank second and third on the team in scoring, respectively. Serrano holds the team lead in assists (nine), while Lima has a team-best eight goals. Esben Wolf also has recorded double-digit points (16) on five goals and six assists. Davis Smith has 14 points on five goals and four assists.

Austin Aviza has started all 22 games in net for the Friars. He holds a .716 save percentage and a 0.97 goals against average. The red-shirt senior has made 53 saves and has nine individual shutouts, while teaming up with fellow goalkeeper Rimi Olatunji for two combined shutouts.

BIG EAST Awards

Five Friars earned All-BIG EAST recognition, as announced by the league on Nov. 11. Tiago Mendonca and Joao Serrano were named to the First Team, while Lima earned Second-Team honors. Danny Griffin and Austin Aviza were selected for the newly-added Third Team. Providence has now had at least one First Team selection in five-consecutive seasons.

Three Friars were selected to the BIG EAST All-Tournament Team. Paulo Lima, Tiago Mendonca and Esben Wolf were the honorees.

Outshooting Opponents

Providence has out-shot its opponents, 355-150, this season. In 21 of 22 matches, Providence has recorded more shots than its opponent. The Friars rank sixth in the nation in shots per game (16.82).

Corner Kick Success

The Friars rank 12th in the nation in corner kicks per game, averaging 6.55. Providence has taken 144 corner kicks on the season and has limited its opponents to just 48.

Most Wins In A Single Season

Providence enters its game on Sunday with 16 wins. The Friars' win total ties the program record for victories in a single season.

Stacking Up Shutouts

As a team, Providence has 11 shutouts, which is tied for the most all-time in program history for a single season. Austin Aviza has nine, individually, and has combined for two others. The most recent shutout came against NJIT in the NCAA First Round on Nov. 21.

Success in OT

The Friars have only played in three overtime games this season. All three have resulted in victories. Providence defeated UConn on Oct. 8 in the 92nd minute and bested Creighton on Oct. 26 in the 98th minute. Most recently, the Friars defeated the Nittany Lions in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, 3-2, on Nov. 24. Providence has not tied a single game so far this season. The last time that happened was 2016, when Providence went 15-7.

When the Friars Score First

The Friars have seen great success when they score the opening goal of the match. They hold an 12-3 record when they get on the board first.

Sharing the Ball

Providence has three players with five-or-more assists on the season. Joao Serrano leads the team (nine), Trevor Davock has eight and Esben Wolf has six.

Scouting the Tigers

Clemson currently holds a 17-2-1 overall record and finished the ACC regular season at 6-1-1. The Tigers made it to the Championship game of the ACC Tournament, where they fell to Virginia, 3-1. Clemson has 3-1-1 record against ranked opponents this season. On Nov. 24, they defeated No. 15 Charlotte, 2-1, in overtime in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Clemson is ranked No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches' Poll (Nov. 19).

The Tigers average 3.35 goals per game and have a shot on goal percentage of .449 on the season.

Who to Watch

Eight Tigers have double-digit points on the season. Robbie Robinson leads the team with 41 points. He has a team-high 16 goals and has recorded nine assists. Robinson was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ranks first in the country in points per game. Kimarni Smith has accumulated 31 points on the season. He's tallied 13 goals and five assists. Grayson Barber has scored 10 goals and eight assists for 28 total points. Philip Mayaka, James Brighton, Adrian Nunez, Tanner Dieteric and Mohamed Seye round out the top half of the Tigers' scoring threats.

George Marks has played 19 games in net for Clemson. He holds a 0.92 goals against average and .730 save percentage. He owns a 15-2-1 record on the season. He has seven shut-out victories and has been a part of three others.

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Players Mentioned

Austin Aviza

Trevor Davock

Danny Griffin

Paulo Lima

Tiago Mendonca

Rimi Olatunji

Joao Serrano

Davis Smith

Esben Wolf