No. 15 Clemson United (9-3-2, ACC 4-2-1) shut out the Boston College Eagles (3-8-4, ACC 0-5-2) 6-0 this past Friday at Historic Riggs Field. With the win, the Tigers finalized a perfect home record through September and October.
The game was a special one for all in attendance, as the Tigers were dominant on both sides of the ball for their senior night. Clemson’s offense outshot the Eagles 25-2, capped off by a historic performance from senior midfielder Ousmane Sylla with his first career hat trick.
The seniors’ final conference game under the lights of Historic Riggs got off to a great start. The Tigers put the pressure on Boston College early with seven shots in the first 20 minutes of play and landed on the board in the 19th minute with an unassisted goal from senior Alex Meinhard to put the Tigers up 1-0.
Clemson’s relentless pressure in the first half led to a foul in the box committed by Eagles defenseman Moritz Gundelach, allowing Sylla to have a penalty kick that placed the Tigers up 2-0 in just under 23 minutes of play.
Sylla scored his second consecutive goal of the night unassisted in the 31st minute. Two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Nathan Richmond helped solidify the Tigers’ upper hand on a tap between his legs assisted by Meinhard, making the score 4-0 at the end of the first half.
Meinhard tucked another goal in the net to open the second half with an assist from Sylla, who then finished off his hat trick in the 62nd minute, putting the Tigers up 6-0 and adding an exclamation point on the Tigers’ ninth win of the season.
“I think we’ve proven throughout the course of the year that no one is crucial,” Clemson head coach Mike Noonan said after the game. “One person gets hurt, and the next person steps up.”
This next-man-up mentality has led the Tigers to have great success this year, and optimism is high heading into tournament play.
The Tigers will look to end the regular season on a strong note when they travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, to take on NC State (6-8-1, ACC 1-5-0) this Friday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m.
