As the 2021 NCAA men’s soccer regular season has come and gone, all eyes have shifted towards a deep playoff run for the Clemson Tigers, ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Men’s College Cup. They will host the winner of the Denver and Grand Canyon match in the round of 32 on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
With the many ups and downs the Tigers have faced over the last three months, here is a recap of their path to the tournament.
Fresh off an ACC Championship in the spring, the Tigers had high expectations set upon them, especially since they returned nine starters from the season before. These expectations began to show as early as August when they were ranked No. 6 in the preseason rankings.
To start off the season, the Tigers hit the ground running as they won their first seven games and outscored their opponents 25-1. This early success allowed Clemson to skyrocket to No. 2 in the rankings.
Much of this success can be credited to junior Isaiah Reid, who scored six goals in the seven game span, and senior George Marks, who had 20 saves.
“What Coach Noonan and his staff continue to do with this program year in and year out is a great point of pride here at Clemson,” said Athletic Director Dan Radakovich in an email. “Our program is in a place where they are competing for conference championships every year and in the mix nationally as well.”
The first sign of trouble for the team came in a 3-1 loss to the unranked University of Charlotte-Greensboro Spartans on Sept. 21, snapping the Tigers’ impressive six game shutout streak and bid at an undefeated season.
Despite returning to Riggs Field with a 31-match home winning streak, trouble continued for the Tigers as they were shut out in a crushing 2-0 loss to No. 15 Pitt, ending the streak just one game shy of a record.
“I hope our students will continue to support this team as part of the ‘Orange Wall’. Our students’ engagement at Historic Riggs Field builds a tremendous homefield advantage,” said Radakovich.
On their heels following two consecutive losses, the then No. 19 Tigers entered Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Oct. 1 and picked up a 2-1 win against the Demon Deacons with a second-half comeback. Senior defender Charlie Asensio earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in the game in which he played all 90 minutes, joining goalkeeper George Marks as the second Tiger to receive the honor this season.
Still sliding in the rankings even after a win, the No. 21 Tigers carried their success to Conway, South Carolina, where they defeated the CCU Chanticleers in a 2-0 shutout behind yet another strong outing by the Clemson defense and Ousmane Sylla’s seventh point of the season.
Following a 2-0 shutout loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Oct. 9, Clemson fell to No. 23 in the nation, its lowest season ranking.
An overtime goal from Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador edged the Tigers over No. 9 Duke, a significant victory against a high-powered rival that helped Clemson jump 17 spots to No. 6 in the nation with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. Fernandez-Salvador was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week.
After a 2-0 loss to Syracuse on Oct. 23, the Tigers finished the regular season with victories against FIU and Louisville, outscoring them by a combined 9-1 en route to an ACC Quarterfinal appearance against No. 18 North Carolina.
As the regular season ended, two more Tigers, Oskar Ågren and Quinn McNeill, were named co-Defensive Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week, respectively.
The Tigers would go on to win against North Carolina behind goals from Ousmane Sylla and Quinn McNeill to advance to the ACC Semifinal.
Clemson, on a three-game win streak, entered the Nov. 10 ACC semifinal match against the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils. The Tigers outlasted the Blue Devils in their only other match this season by a score of 3-2 in overtime. However, this time around Clemson was defeated by Duke, resulting in Duke moving on to the ACC Championship.
This article was written by a student of ENGL 2310: Introduction to Journalism, which is taught by Mike Pulley.
