One of the most nerve-wracking parts of the game of soccer is watching a player attempt a penalty kick. With everyone in the stadium watching, just 12 yards and a goalkeeper separate a team from scoring a goal. Many players choke under the pressure, but not Tanner Dieterich, captain of Clemson’s men’s soccer team. Deadlocked at 0-0 on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Dieterich stepped to the spot and coolly converted the penalty kick to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead, a lead that they did not surrender.
When I asked Dieterich about the nerves he felt as he waited to take the kick, he replied, “It’s just confidence, knowing that you can hit it, and kinda just envisioning it, and taking a deep breath and executing. It almost becomes second nature once you’ve done it once or twice, but you gotta have some ice in the veins and step up and put it in the back of the net when the team calls upon you.” The idea of stepping up when the team calls upon him is a big part of Dieterich’s attitude toward the game. Last season, as a sophomore, Dieterich was named captain of the team. When talking about being named captain of the team, Dieterich said, “It’s a huge honor and privilege especially at a program like Clemson. Coach Noonan and all the staff, they really entrust you, and instill confidence in you to carry out a lot of the core values and the culture of the team and to really implement a lot of that stuff and make sure that the team on a whole is being carried out in a proper way. That’s for your development and that’s really for the team as well, so that throughout the year there is sustained excellence within the program. They kinda put that burden on your back and it’s a privilege and an honor and something that I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do for two years now. It’s so much fun leading these guys.”
The weight on Dieterich’s shoulders has only increased this year as the 2018 Tigers are one of the youngest squads in the ACC. I asked Dieterich about the role he has played in helping the younger players on the team, to which he said, “The group of guys, they’re a bunch of really, really good guys. The biggest thing being an older guy on the team is just holding them accountable and making sure they’re taking care of their stuff off the field… so that they can perform on the field.” He added, “I think that’s the biggest thing, because as anything when you’re young you have to make mistakes, and you gotta kinda learn and you have to let them fail a little bit. But being there for them when they’re down, and then also picking them up.”
While the talent of this year’s team is apparent, the Tigers are playing in the toughest conference in all of college soccer. With eight teams ranked in the top 25, the ACC has proved to be a tough challenge for Clemson who currently stand at 5-8-1. When I asked Dieterich about the difficulty of the ACC and the experience his team has gained because of it, he said, “There’s something about playing Friday night in the ACC that brings out a different element of the game, and it’s very tough when you’re young, and it’s something you haven’t seen before and the pace of the game, the physicality of it, it’s all different.” He added, “That’s the reason why you come to Clemson and that’s the reason why you play in the ACC. It’s to be in those games and those types of environments, so it’s really good for them and really good for all of us really.”
While the 2018 Tigers are looking up at the teams ranked in the top 25 this year, just a season ago they entered the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 team in the nation. Although Clemson was eliminated in the first round after an upset by in-state rival Coastal Carolina, the accomplishments of last year’s group will not be forgotten. Players like Olivier Shannon and Diego Campos who played a big role in the success of the team have now moved on to play professionally in the MLS. Dieterich reflected on the impact last year’s seniors had when he said, “Oli [Olivier Shannon] was a big time player for us. In the locker room, on the field, he had an impact wherever he walked really after being here for four years. The whole group though, group of seniors from Grayson Raynor, Diego [Campos], even Chris Heijjer on the bench. Chris Heijjer did so much for this program off the field that a lot of people didn’t get to see and it doesn’t get in papers and it doesn’t get published in the box score, but he was able to capture so many guys and help them to buy into the culture of the team.” A lot of the responsibility for building the culture of the team has fallen on Dieterich this season. When I asked Dieterich who he has looked up to for help in establishing the team’s culture, three guys came to mind. He said, “My dad is probably the biggest inspiration…he’s been a coach now for a very long time, over forty years and so he’s been in and around the game, he knows how teams operate…he knows and understands how to be successful and how to lead teams and bring teams together.” He later added, “The other [guy] is Coach Noonan…He’s been around the game for so long, and he’s definitely a role model that I look up to and I try to implement a lot of things that he does because he’s a very successful coach, he knows what he’s doing, he’s been in the game for so long.” Finally, Dieterich mentioned the role of, “Oli Shannon, who I was captain with last year. He was a… really good captain on the field. I’ve tried to implement his style of the English game on the field and trying to lead in that way.”
It is clear even from afar that Dieterich is doing an excellent job of fostering the culture that Clemson athletics pride themselves on. The team is a tight-knit group that spend a lot of time together both on and off the field. When I asked Dieterich about the things the team does when they hang out, he mentioned Brioso pre-game dinners, home cooked meals prepared by different classes during which, “you get to see some funny characters get in the kitchen that normally aren’t in there,” and a team trip to Pelican’s SnoBalls.
While the team has fun off the field, they know that there is still a lot of work left to be done on the field this season. I asked Dieterich what fans can expect from the Tigers heading into their final stretch of regular season games and he said, “We’re just going to go out there, and we’re going to try to perform and take care of business on the night. Obviously, we haven’t had the best results so far so we’re trying to kind of redeem ourselves and make something here in the end.” He added, “We’re attacking them, and we’re going to try to go… put some pride in the Clemson shirt and go out there and play for Clemson, really, and try to get some results”.
Although Dieterich’s main focus now is wearing the Clemson shirt, I asked him about the possibility of playing professionally in the future. He emphasized that he’s focused on his job here, but he did say, “When you start playing at such a young age, [playing professionally is] the ultimate goal. To go on and play pro and to be able to sign a pro contract means a lot, so yeah that’s definitely a goal of mine. But I’m in no rush, and I love what I’m doing here and this is a great place to be and develop so I’m focusing on being my best here at Clemson.”
It’s easy to see that Dieterich loves wearing the Clemson jersey and Clemson fans certainly love to see him wearing it. Dieterich and the Tigers have two regular season games remaining before the ACC tournament games begin. Expect this Tiger squad to leave everything on the field and play with nothing to lose down the final stretch.
