BOX SCORE
CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson men’s soccer team fell by a score of 4-1 to the No. 14 Virginia Cavaliers on Friday night at Historic Riggs Field. With the loss, Clemson fell to 5-6-1 overall and 0-5-0 in the ACC, while Virginia improved to 8-1-2 overall and 3-1-1 in conference play.
The match was knotted in a scoreless tie until the 39th minute, when Cabrel Happi Kamseu slipped his fifth goal of the season past a diving Jonny Sutherland to give the Cavaliers a 1-0 advantage. Prior to the goal, the two teams had only combined for four shots, none of which had been on goal, and after the goal, Virginia held a one-score advantage at the break.
The Tigers tied it up just over a minute into the second half, when Tanner Dieterich took a shot through traffic from 24 yards out that slipped in the right side of the net, good for his third goal of the season. But the Cavaliers scored twice in the next four minutes, with one goal coming on a Robin Afamefuna free kick from 19 yards out and the other on a close-range shot by Daniel Steedman that gave Virginia a 3-1 lead. Daryl Dike then brought the score to 4-1 on his fourth goal of the season, a shot from 15 yards out off a bouncing cleared free kick, and that proved to be the final goal of the match.
Kimarni Smith had two of Clemson’s best looks in the second half, with one in the 56th minute that went high and the other in the 62nd minute that proved wide. The Tigers also had a chance on a Patrick Bunk-Andersen shot off a Malick Mbaye free kick in the 85th minute, but it hit the crossbar.
“I thought that the guys played really hard,” said head coach Mike Noonan. “They competed very well. We’re disappointed with the result, obviously. We had a bad five minute period after we equalized the game, and you have to give Virginia credit. Good teams, and they’re a very good team, take advantage of those things. They scored four goals on seven shots, and two of them were deflected. But I’m more focused on our team, and I think our team competed exceptionally well. There are better days ahead.”
The Tigers return to action at Historic Riggs Field on Tuesday evening when they host No. 22 Coastal Carolina. Kickoff against the Chanticleers is set for 7 p.m.
Photos by Emily Goad, Clemson Athletic Communications.
