Clemson’s 3-0 win over Presbyterian College on Saturday Aug. 24 showed that this is a different team than last year. Last year’s team was good, as they beat University of Maryland (the team who went on to win the national championship), but they were inconsistent and did not always finish their games strong, as they did not win any of their three games that went into overtime. Learning from their mistakes from last year, the Tigers are looking new and improved.
The biggest takeaway from Saturday’s game was the quickness and speed that the Tigers had. It seemed as if whenever there was a 50/50 ball, Clemson would come away with it and win those crucial one-on-one battles getting to the ball first. This allowed the Tigers to control the pace of the game and be on the attack instead of the defense.
Whenever Presbyterian did get the ball into Clemson’s territory, it did not last long. The Tiger’s midfield stepped it up and made it very difficult for the Blue Hose’s to produce any offense. In particular, freshman midfielder, Philip Mayaka, seemed to be everywhere. Mayaka stole the ball away from players like he was taking candy from a baby. His quick feet and ability to keep the ball in his possession allowed him to juke around players and pass the ball upfield to the forwards.
With each of Clemson’s three goals coming from assists, it is clear that the Tigers are playing unselfishly. With two assists, sophomore forward, Grayson Barber, proved to be another key player in the Tiger’s win. Grayson’s ability to see the field and take advantage of opportunities allowed him to set up his teammates Robbie Robinson and Charlie Asensio to take a chance on goal. Freshman defender Isaiah Reid also assisted Robbie Robinson for a goal.
Although the Tigers played impressive against the Blue Hoses, they still missed multiple opportunities for goals. It is important to remember that they will have to play much tougher teams than Presbyterian later in the season. The ACC is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, conferences in college soccer. In those conference games, Clemson will have to continue to play fast and physical, but they also have to capitalize on every opportunity that they create because they likely will not get as many as they did against Presbyterian.
Clemson’s first regular season game will be home on Friday, Aug. 30 against their rival University of South Carolina.
