With all of the hype surrounding the Clemson football team in recent weeks, the Clemson men’s soccer team has quietly emerged as one of the top teams in the nation. After entering the season unranked, the Tigers rattled off eight straight wins to start the season, moving them up to No. 4 in the nation.
After a disappointing 2018 season, which saw the Tigers fall to 7-9-1, outside expectations weren’t especially high coming into 2019. In a conference as loaded as the ACC, many expected the Tigers to hover around the middle of the pack as they did a season ago. Thus far, the Tigers have defied expectations and emerged as one of the leaders not only in the ACC, but in the entire country.
Much of the Tigers’ success can be attributed to their explosive offense. Kimarni Smith and Robbie Robinson have led the attack, tallying 10 and eight goals respectively. Both Smith and Robinson rank in the top 10 for goals scored in the entire nation. Freshman Phillip Mayaka and senior Tanner Dieterich have done an excellent job of setting up scoring chances for Smith and Robinson, combining for 12 assists already. Sophomore Grayson Barber has played a major role in the success of the offense as well, providing five goals and four assists for the midfield thus far.
These performances have resulted in the Tigers establishing themselves as the most prolific offensive team in the nation, and right now, there isn’t a close second. The Tigers lead the nation with an average of 4.13 goals per game. The next best team is Florida International University (FIU) who have averaged 3.38 goals per game against lowly Conference USA competition. While the competition for the Tigers will only get tougher as the season continues, they have shown already that they are capable of maintaining their scoring pace against some of the top teams in the nation. Against Notre Dame, Duke, and Wake Forest the Tigers compiled nine goals on 53 total shots. With matches against No. 18 Virginia Tech and No. 17 Louisville on the horizon, the Tigers will need to continue to find ways to break down some of the toughest defenses in the nation.
While the Clemson offense has been a national storyline, the defense has managed to hold its own as well. Anchored by veterans Malick Mbaye and Justin Malou, the Tigers had only conceded seven goals through their first eight matches. In their most recent match against Wake Forest however, the Tigers conceded three. Mbaye and Malou have served as a steady, calming force for a defensive unit that has seen several young players take on key roles. Freshman Oskar Agren has played in all nine games while sophomore George Marks took over the starting goalkeeper spot in the offseason.
It’s worth noting that the Tigers have gone back to a three-defender formation to start the season after finishing last season with four and sometimes even five defenders. The Tigers experimented with the three-defender formation early last season but ditched it before matches against top teams like North Carolina and Wake Forest. While the switch has paid dividends so far in 2019, it will be interesting to see if the Tiger defense can continue to hold up as the competition grows tougher. Against No. 7 Wake Forest on Saturday, their defense conceded three goals in the Tigers’ first loss of the season.
In perhaps their toughest match of the season this Saturday, the Tigers fell just short against the Demon Deacons on the road. The Tigers held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but allowed Wake Forest to get level twice. In overtime, the Demon Deacons secured the game winning goal on a penalty kick. Despite the loss, the Tigers proved that they are worthy of their top-ten ranking. An overtime loss in which the Tigers outshot their opponent 16-11 isn’t a performance to be ashamed of, and the Tigers will look to use the loss as motivation moving forward.
One of the highlights of the early season came in Clemson’s 2-0 road win against Furman this past Tuesday. With the victory, Clemson’s Head Coach, Mike Noonan, secured his 100th career win on the same field where he earned his first. Noonan took over the Head Coach position in 2010 and has since led the Tigers to the NCAA tournament in five of the past six years, an ACC championship in 2014, and a National Championship runner up in 2015.
The Tigers will look to rebound from their loss when they take on the College of Charleston Cougars this Tuesday on the road. After the matchup against the Cougars, the Tigers will resume their ACC slate against No. 18 Virginia Tech at Historic Riggs Field.
