As the seconds ticked down at Historic Riggs Field on Saturday evening, Clemson United seemed destined for a goalless draw against Elon. With nine seconds left in the match, Clemson’s luck changed.

With 26 seconds remaining, Clemson (6-2-2, 3-0-1 ACC) lined up a corner kick. It was the last play of the game and the Tigers’ final chance to score.

The corner came in with 13 seconds remaining, and a scrum inside the box ensued. As fans held their breath, the ball hit the back of the net off the shoulder of sophomore defender Lukas Magnason. After 89 minutes and 51 seconds of scoreless action, Clemson was up 1-0.

With so little time remaining, Elon (5-2-4, 2-0-2 ACC) was unable to respond as the Tigers ended their two-game nonconference skid.

However, the winning goal did not come without controversy. After voicing his displeasure with one of the referees, Elon head coach Marc Reeves was awarded a yellow card following the score. Despite Reeves’s protests, the goal stood.

While Clemson walked away with an exciting win, the result couldn’t have happened without goalkeeper Joseph Andema. With six total saves, Andema stonewalled the Phoenixes for his second clean sheet of the season.

In the 50th minute, Elon launched a powerful shot at the net. Heroically, Andema dove to push the ball off frame. Just two minutes later, he would do it all again to keep the score even.

Clemson’s defense was stout, allowing only eight shots in the second half of the match after holding Elon to none in the first half. Meanwhile, the Tigers put up 21 shots of their own, including six on goal.

Clemson United will look to carry the momentum from its dramatic Saturday night victory to Raleigh, NC, when they face off against No. 2 NC State on Friday at 7 p.m.