Clemson Hosts Wake Forest Friday, 1984 National Championship Team Returns

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson men’s soccer team hosts Wake Forest on Friday, Sept. 26 at Historic Riggs Field at 7 p.m. The 1984 Clemson men’s soccer national championship team will be recognized throughout the match in celebration of their 30th anniversary year. The game will broadcast live on ESPN3 and tickets can be purchased online through the Clemson Ticket Office.

Clemson stands at 4-4-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the ACC on the season after a 1-0 loss last Saturday night to No. 14 Syracuse at Historic Riggs Field. The Tigers are currently in third place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division standings, and are in the midst of a stretch in which they play eight of their final 11 regular season games at home. 

Five Clemson players have scored two goals this season and another four have scored one. Junior T.J. Casner leads the team with three assists and seven total points. Redshirt junior Chris Glodack and sophomore Andrew Tarbell have split time in goal this season for Clemson, with both maintaining save percentages above .700.

Wake Forest currently sits at 4-3-0 on the season and 1-1-0 in conference play. The Demon Deacons defeated VMI by a score of 7-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Junior forward Michael Gamble scored four goals in the contest. After traveling to Clemson for Friday’s contest, Wake Forest has just two road games remaining on its schedule.

The two teams met last season on Oct. 11 in Winston-Salem and played to a 1-1 double-overtime tie. Clemson was ranked 17^th nationally at the time and Wake Forest was ranked 10^th. Casner scored Clemson’s only goal of the night in the 36^th minute, while Tarbell saved six shots in 110 minutes of action.

Clemson’s 1984 National Championship team will be recognized during halftime of Friday’s match in celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the Tigers’ first men’s soccer national title. Of the 28 players on the roster that year, 22 will be in attendance this weekend. The 1984 team finished 22-4 overall and was ranked ninth nationally in the final poll. They won 10 straight matches at one point during the season and defeated the number-one, two, three and four-seeded teams en route to the national title. In the championship match, Clemson knocked off two-time defending national champion Indiana at the Kingdome in Seattle. John Lee scored with 1:42 remaining in the game to give Clemson the 2-1 win and its first soccer national championship.