ORLANDO, Fla. - For the first time in his collegiate career, junior Ransford Gyan tallied a hat trick and propelled the No. 18 Clemson Tigers past the UCF Knights, 4-1, in a Tuesday night match-up. The Tigers outshot the Knights 9-6 that included a goal by sophomore Cooper Hineline alongside Gyan’s three as Clemson improved to 3-1 on the season while UCF dropped to 2-1-1.
Clemson took little time putting the pressure on UCF as Gyan gave the Tigers an early lead after scoring two back-to-back goals within six minutes of each other. His first came after he fired a shot off after intercepting an attempted clearance from the UCF box in the 14’ to put Clemson on the board. Gyan continued to threaten the Knights’ final third after tucking away a goal just outside the six-yard box in the 20’, extending the Tigers lead to 2-0.
Clemson recorded six shots in the first half and four corners, while UCF had just two shots in the first 45’. Hineline added his goal to the tally after sophomore Xander Sevian tackled and claimed possession of the ball in the 32’ before making the dish to Hineline for a one-timer outside the penalty box. This goal marked Hineline’s third goal of the season.
UCF opened up the second half with a renewed sense of urgency and capitalized off a long ball played to its forward in the 63’, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 3-1. However, the Knights’ push would prove to be short lived as freshman Johannes Kack found Gyan for his third goal of the night and fifth of the season to make it 4-1.
Clemson goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic fended off one additional shot on goal attempt by UCF to secure the win. On the night, Janjic recorded three saves in goal for his third win of the year.
Up Next
The Tigers conclude their road stretch with a match on Friday, Sept. 4 at Syracuse. Clemson will open ACC play against the Orange at 7 p.m. on ACCNX.