No. 12 Tigers douse Flames in weather-shortened game |
No. 12 Clemson men's soccer topped Liberty 1-0 in a 74-minute match that was delayed due to lightning and heavy rain and ultimately called.
The Tigers found the opener early but struggled to pick up momentum after their goal. The Flames and Tigers played stout defense to keep it a low-scoring affair, although Clemson took 21 shots but found the back of the net once. The Tigers (5-1-2) dominated possession early into the match, picking out areas for players and in between dangerous spots to keep the Flames at bay. Around the attacking third, Clemson couldn’t find the end product to capitalize on early momentum. Joran Gerbet played a cross to Alex Meinhard, which Meinhard whiffed at the driven cross. It was a tough one to catch, but a key opportunity missed. After a Liberty (2-3-1) blunder in the 21st minute, a cross played by Ransford Gyan landed into Misei Yoshizawa at the back post, and he rolled it past Liberty goalkeeper Owen Moore to open the scoring. He tabbed his fourth goal of the season, and Gyan picked up his first assist of his career. In the 34th minute, Gyan took on a defender and whizzed a shot right past the goalkeeper, but it went just wide of the right post. After picking up his first assist, he was on a mission to grab a goal but just missed the opportunity. Seven minutes later, an over-the-top through ball played by Antonio Illuminato found Tyler Trimnal. Trimnal took a volley outside the box and flared towards the goal, but a great diving save kept Liberty down one goal at halftime. Clemson head coach Mike Noonan looked disgruntled at the halftime whistle. The Tigers had 16 shots in the first half and only converted one chance from a giveaway. The Tigers looked to capitalize in the second half after multiple missed chances. Ten minutes into the second period, Trimnal had a glaring opportunity from a back post cross. His header went straight down, but not enough power on the header left an easy save for Owen Moore. In the 66th minute, Liberty had their first chance of the second half on a free kick in a promising position. Gabe Findley curled a ball toward the back post, but it just reached past Bryce Swinehart. Clemson dominated possession for the 74 minutes. Liberty didn’t have a shot on goal since early in the first half. After a lightning strike and weather delay for a lengthy amount of time, the coaches agreed for the game to go final. Clemson earned a victory that was not convincing on the field or paper, but the Tigers got the job done. Although the Tigers couldn’t convert their chances, a positive note is the defense, which stepped up after some performances that were called out by Noonan in post-game pressers. He's just too good 😮💨 Rainy Riggs dubs #ClemsonUnited pic.twitter.com/kCdOBoeeZC Due to forecasted inclement weather, tonight’s match was called in the 73’#ClemsonUnited https://t.co/ZdM5s0W85z
Misei Yoshizawa claims his 4th goal of the season!#ClemsonUnited | 📺 ACCNX pic.twitter.com/xIAKyqw19p
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
