The Clemson Tigers defeated the Pittsburgh Panthers by a score of 3-0 at Historic Riggs Field on Friday night.
Coming off another impressive 3-0 victory over the UCLA Bruins earlier in the week, the Tigers kept rolling with another decisive victory.
The win gave Clemson its second ACC victory of the season and they improved their overall record to 7-1-0. Once again Tiger fans packed the bleachers and energized the team throughout the game. Clemson leads the ACC and is sixth in the nation in attendance per game. The Tigers haven’t let their fans down yet as they improved to 5-0-0 at home this season.
Diego Campos shined again against Pittsburgh as he opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a near-post blast. The goal was Campos’ team leading fourth goal of the season. Campos also contributed with an assist later in the match which added to his team leading total of ten points on the season.
Once the Tigers took the lead, they never looked back and they were able to seize control of the match. Clemson finished with 19 shots compared to five for the Panthers. Most of the attacking came from the trio of Campos, Olivier Shannon and Jason Wright as the three players tallied 14 of the 19 shots and two of the three Tiger goals.
The match was another physical battle as the two sides combined for forty one fouls and six yellow cards. This has been a theme for the Tigers as of late, and it appears as though the team is making a distinct effort to establish themselves as a physical one.
The Tiger defense, which has been a strength all year, has been especially good as of late as they recorded their third straight shutout. Coming into the match, the Tiger defense ranked second in the ACC, only allowing four goals all season. The defensive dynamic duo of Patrick Bunk-Andersen and Malik Mbaye was on display again Friday night, and it appears as though the two defenders are only getting more comfortable as the season goes on.
Keeper Ximo Miralles put together another solid performance in net as he converted all of his four save opportunities. Miralles has saved twenty one of twenty five shots on net this season, which is good for an 84% save percentage.
The second goal of the match came in the 57th minute when captain Olivier Shannon slid the ball between the keeper’s legs from five yards out. The goal was the first of the season for the senior, and it allowed the Tigers to find some breathing room. Shannon’s role on the team is mainly one of facilitating the ball through the midfield and creating chances for the forwards, but on Friday night he often took it upon himself to challenge the keeper.
The final goal of the match came on a headed ball from freshman Robbie Robinson that came after a long cross from the left corner. The ball found its way to the back of the net after Pittsburgh keeper Mikal Outcalt failed to make the save despite getting a hand to the ball. Robinson has been a key offensive contributor for the Tigers all season land he finally recorded his first goal as a Tiger on Friday night. Robinson nearly had a second goal just two minutes later after breaking through the defense, dribbling around the keeper, and passing the ball into the net, but the play was controversially ruled offsides.
The Tigers are currently ranked No. 8 in the nation and are one of seven ACC teams ranked in the top 11. One of the other ACC teams is the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who are ranked No. 4 in the nation. Clemson will take on the Demon Deacons next Friday night at 7 p.m. on the road in Winston-Salem.
Before the big match against Wake, the Tigers will take on Charlotte at home on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.. Charlotte is not a team that can be overlooked as their recent impressive play has them on the brink of being a top-25 team. The Tigers will look to carry the momentum from their recent games into what is shaping up to be a challenging week.
