Clemson men’s soccer enters the NCAA Tournament in a strange position: dangerous enough to beat anybody, inconsistent enough to lose to anybody, but talented enough to make you believe all of that at the same time.
The Tigers open postseason play on Thursday at Historic Riggs Field against Western Michigan, marking the beginning of a long road if they hope to return to Cary. It’s the 10th time in the last 12 years they’ll start the NCAA Tournament at home, a reminder that Clemson’s floor is still higher than most programs’ ceilings.
However, the reason the team is here as an unseeded 8-5-3 team is the same reason its ceiling remains unclear: The Tigers haven’t solved their attacking woes.
Mike Noonan didn’t sugarcoat it after the first-round ACC Tournament loss to Pitt.
“We’ve got to be better in our final third,” Noonan said. “It’s happened four or five times this year. You can’t give up a goal and let teams put 11 guys in the penalty box.”
This season, a trend of early mistakes has forced the Tigers to spend 70 minutes trying to thread needles into a crowded penalty area.
What makes it surprising is that individual creativity is there.
Ransford Gyan, ACC Midfielder of the Year, might be the best on-ball dribbler in college soccer. Mesei Yoshizawa can turn half-chances into something real. Wahabu Musah’s pace stretches defenses. Nathan Richmond’s touch around the box is reliable. Kwaku Agyabeng is emerging as a true midfielder connector.
This isn’t a talent issue.
If anything, Clemson borders on being too unselfish at times, passing up looks in hopes of finding a better one.
“We just weren’t assertive and aggressive enough in the most dangerous areas, which is in front of the goal,” he said.
Clemson still ranks ninth nationally in scoring at 2.31 goals per game. The offense isn’t broken, it just doesn’t look the same when it’s forced to attack static, packed-in defenses.
When Clemson scores first or even avoids an early concession, the counterattack becomes a weapon again, and the team suddenly transforms into the version capable of beating anybody in the country.
The Tigers’ path, if they get through Western Michigan, won’t be simple.
A win likely means a short trip to Greenville to face No. 16 seed Furman.
After that, it’s road games the rest of the way, including a potential showdown with undefeated No. 1 Vermont in several feet of snow.
But Clemson won’t be the less-talented team in any of those matches, and that’s where the hope sits for Tiger fans.
The question — the one that’s defined the season — is whether Clemson can play cohesively and assertively four or five games in a row.
History says the team might.
Noonan has navigated brackets like this before, winning two national titles in the last five years and reaching the Round of 16 in five of the last six.
If there’s someone you’d want steering a talented but uneven team into November, it’s Noonan. And if Clemson can finally put the pieces together, this could still be a long month.
