The wait for Clemson men’s soccer to kick off its season is almost over.
Head coach Mike Noonan and his team will open up the 2023 season at Historic Riggs Field, hosting the UCF Knights on Thursday in a non-conference match.
The season opener marks the first of four home games to start the season for the Tigers. The next three home games are against UNC Wilmington, in-state rival South Carolina and Presbyterian.
Clemson finished last season with an overall record of 13-7-1 and went 3-4-1 in conference play. Despite returning to the College Cup last season, the Tigers fell short of repeating as national champions, falling to UCLA at home to end their season.
The Tigers are also looking to return to the top of the college soccer rankings. The recent United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll listed Clemson at No. 9, with ACC foes Pittsburgh, Duke and reigning national champions Syracuse all ranked ahead in the top five slots. A great start to the season could help the team gain momentum and rise in the rankings early.
Fortunately for coach Noonan, he has the star power to do just that.
Clemson is returning its top attackers in midfielder Ousmane Sylla and forward Mohamed Seye, who are first and second in goals for the team, respectively. They will be supported in the backfield by experienced defenders Enrique Montana III and Adam Lundegard, who will help by bringing their veteran ability to a novice freshman core.
Although faced with the losses of star defenders Hamady Diop and Joey Skinner, as well as team captain and forward Isaiah Reid to the MLS SuperDraft, Noonan mitigated the fallout thanks to a stellar freshmen class and pickups from the transfer portal.
The Tigers will be joined by a plethora of experienced players from the transfer portal. Headlining this group is Joran Gerbet, a junior midfielder from Oregon State who earned Pac-12 Player of the Year in the 2022 season. Joining Gerbet in the midfield is Jackson Wrobel, a junior midfielder from Wofford with All-Southern Conference First-Team accolades.
Another new Tiger who could make waves early is Gael Gilbert, a graduate defender also from Oregon State who earned All-Pac-12 Second Team honors. On the offensive side of the ball is Alex Meinhard, a senior forward from the University of Tulsa who is the two-time American Offensive Player of the Year. With the accolades and experience proven by these new players, don’t be surprised if they end up with All-ACC honors at the end of this season.
Meanwhile, the UCF Knights are looking to forget last season when they failed to make the AAC Tournament with a record of 6-7-0. It was the first time the team had missed the AAC Tournament since joining the conference. The Knights, who switched to the Sun Belt Conference this season due to conference realignments, are looking to start the season strong.
UCF returns their top goal scorer from last season, Lucca Dourado, who enters his senior season on the heels of an 11-goal junior campaign. Dourado also earned his second First Team All-Conference honors with his play. Returning with Dourado is senior defender Anderson Rosa, who earned himself a First Team All-Conference nod as well. In the net, sophomore Juanvi Munoz looks to build off of his freshman season, when he earned an All-Rookie Team spot in the conference.
Kickoff between the Tigers and the Knights is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday at Historic Riggs Field, and the game will be broadcasted on ACCNX.
