Coming off a national championship victory last year, Clemson men’s soccer enters this season with all eyes set on defending the title, which starts with the Tigers’ opener against Indiana.
Slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 at Historic Riggs Field, the matchup between the two programs features two of the country’s top teams.
The United Soccer Coaches preseason poll ranked the Tigers as the No. 1 team in the country, as Clemson earned all eight first-place votes. Meanwhile, Indiana came in at No. 13 after finishing last season 15-6-1, whereas Clemson finished 16-5-2.
“We are extremely excited about this historic match,” Mike Noonan said in a press release. “It was paramount to us to provide our fans with an opening matchup that reflects the elite level of this program, and it is important to begin our title defense with a competitive battle.”
In last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers reached the Sweet 16, where they fell short to Washington. Clemson then went on to play Washington in the national championship game, where the Tigers came out victorious with a 2-0 win. 
While Clemson came out on top in 2021, the team lost six players from last season’s roster to the MLS, including defenders Oskar Ågren and Charlie Asensio and goalie George Marks.
In terms of Indiana and Clemson’s history, the two programs have faced each other eleven times. In their most recent matchup in 2012, the Hoosiers came out with a 3-0 victory.
Indiana and Clemson collectively have 11 national championship wins — Clemson with three and Indiana with eight.
The Hosiers have made the NCAA tournament for the past 35 selections and currently lead the series of games against the Tigers 6-4-1.