The No. 2 Clemson Tigers (1-1-1) will take on the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (0-2-2) on Tuesday at Historic Riggs Field, fresh off a 3-2 loss to the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal.

The Tigers fell behind by two goals on Friday but managed to turn the game into a nailbiter in the final minutes, following a goal from midfielder Joran Gerbet in the 76th minute. The loss marks the defending champions first of the season — and first in 350 days.

The Tigers will hope to get back in the win column behind play from strong veteran leaders. Offensively, the Tigers will continue to be led by graduate forward Alex Meinhard and junior midfielder Misei Yoshizawa, both of whom have two goals so far on the year. Anchoring the squad in goal is three-year starter Joseph Andema.

On the visitor’s side, the Greyhounds are still in search of their first victory of the young season. Offensively, their game has been riddled with struggles, as Loyola has mustered just two goals in four games. Both goals came in road matchups: a 1-1 tie against the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a 6-1 loss to Marshall.

A core group of returning starters leads Loyola Maryland. Junior goalkeeper and second-year starter Dylan Van der Walt will be a key player for the Greyhounds if they hope to knock off the defending national champions. On the attack, junior forward Charlie Herley will look to find the back of the net for his side and attempt to put his team in the win column.

Overall, the Tigers come into the matchup heavily favored over the Greyhounds. With the lack of offensive success from Loyola Maryland, the Tigers should have plenty of opportunity to keep the ball out of the defensive end. However, the Tigers have not fully played up to their rank thus far, and the team must prove to the soccer world why they are the defending national champions.

Team rankings are accurate as of Sept. 9.