The College of Charleston Cougars proved to be no match for the Tigers on Sunday afternoon, as the Clemson women’s soccer team pulled off an 8-0 shutout. The Tigers roared back in a big way on Sunday, earning a much-needed victory after dropping their previous two games.  

It did not take long for Clemson to put pressure on the Cougars. Just 6:01 into the game, Clemson broke the ice with a picturesque goal from junior forward Maliah Morris. A corner kick setup from senior defender Renee Guion provided her teammate with a beautiful look at the net, and Morris did not disappoint. She buried a rising strike into the top left corner to put Clemson on top 1-0. Just 6 minutes and 57 seconds later, Morris’ sister Makenna, a sophomore defender, added her own goal to give Clemson an early 2-0 lead.  

The Tigers disrupted the chemistry of the College of Charleston Cougars often throughout the first period. The Cougars could not get any playmaking going, and their defense was consistently at the mercy of Clemson’s dynamic offense. The Tigers would score twice more in the first period, with some shifty footwork at 21:34 by Guion to go along with a header goal at 35:39 from sophomore midfielder Megan Bornkamp. 

The Clemson Tigers strolled into the second period with a 4-0 lead. Both teams decided to substitute their goalies for the second period, as well as most of their position players. As the benches emptied, the scoring onslaught from Clemson continued. A free kick goal from junior forward Caroline Conti at 56:24 iced the game for the Tigers. Clemson’s defense continued to be relentless, and their offense never took its foot off the gas. Clemson would go on to score three more times in the game. Maliah Morris and Bornkamp each added their second goals of the day, and freshman forward Renee Lyles put the cherry on top at 83:36 to complete the 8-0 shutout. 

Looking ahead, Clemson will host rival University of South Carolina on Thursday, September 9, at 6 PM.