Clemson Tigers Soccer Falls to ACC Newcomer in Clash of Power Programs

The Clemson Tigers men’s soccer team was involved in a battle of the titans with a highly-ranked ACC newcomer on Friday.

Clemson goalkeeper Joseph Andema (1) practices at he soccer practice facility in Clemson, S.C. Tuesday, August 20, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

The ACC schedulers wanted a huge showdown to start conference play, and they got one on Friday as Clemson hosted Stanford at Historic Riggs Field.

The game was the ACC opener for both teams, and the Cardinal — ranked No. 5 in the country going into the game — defeated the No. 2 Tigers, 3-2.

Clemson (1-1-1, 0-1-0 in ACC) scored in the first 2:25 of the contest to take the lead when Lukas Magnuson fired a shot into the top right of the goal. Tyler Trimnal and Joran Gerbet were credited with the assist.

The lead didn’t last long. Stanford (4-1-0, 1-0-0) hit the equalizer 5:20 into the match on a penalty kick as Will Reilly snuck one past Clemson goalkeeper Joseph Andema.

Just before halftime, at 41:55, Stanford took a 2-1 lead on an own goal, an awful way for the Tigers to head into the break.

From there, the Cardinal built a two-goal lead when, at 74:08, the Cardinal’s Shane de Flores fired one into the bottom right of the goal off assists from Dylan Groeneveld and Jackson Kill to push Stanford’s lead to 3-1.

Clemson rallied fast to cut the lead to a goal, as Gerbet scored an unassisted goal at 76:00.

But, Stanford held onto the lead for the victory.

Clemson outshot Stanford, 16-9, but they combined for just seven shots on goal. Andema stopped three of the Cardinal’s five shots on goal, while goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly was unable to stop either of the Tigers’ shots on goal.

Clemson led Stanford 9-5 in corner kicks but lost two possessions due to offsides calls. The Cardinal had 12 fouls to the Tigers’ nine, but no one was given a red card.

This was as big a conference match as one could get on the opening weekend of league action. Along with the national rankings, the Tigers are the defending national champions and beat Stanford in the NCAA Tournament last year, securing their spot in the College Cup with a 2-0 victory.

Stanford, a long-time member of the Pac-12 Conference, joined the ACC in August after its former league’s exodus to other conferences left just Oregon State and Washington State playing under the league’s banner.

Clemson entered the contest having played just two non-conference matches, as the Tigers defeated Penn State, 3-0, and then tied South Carolina, 2-2, the latter of which was a week ago.

The Tigers hosts Loyola (MD) on Tuesday before returning to ACC action next Friday at Boston College.