The Clemson men’s soccer team fell 3-0 Saturday against No.1 ranked Wake Forest at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina.
Wake Forest came out the gates early using their speed to take over the match. With majority possession and solid ball movement, the top ranked team in the country took an early 1-0 lead. At the 17:25 mark in the match, Wake Forest’s Justin McMaster found the back of the net.
The first half would not end 1-0 as Wake Forest continued their persistent attack on the Tigers. The Demon Deacons were able to find the net again at the 38:41 mark in the match to give them a 2-0 lead over Clemson (4-3-1). Wake Forest’s Kyle Holcomb scored off of great ball movement by the Deacons, resulting in a low cross from Isaiah Parente, which found the foot of Holcomb.
The first half ended 2-0 with No.1 Wake Forest leading, but the scoring wouldn’t stop there. The Deamon Deacons continued their run as they were able to find the net for a third goal at the 75:16 mark. After a pass inside the box off the right wing from Machop Chol, Wake Forest’s Alistair Johnston finished from 6 yards out. This gave Wake a 3-0 lead, and sealed the victory for the team.
“You take out of this game that we’ve got to be better” said Clemson head coach Mike Noonan. “In critical areas, we have to be better. In one on one defending we need to be better. We’ve got to be better in front of the goal in order to score and we’ve just got to move the ball quicker.”
“In the next week going forward we need to work on all the things I just talked about. I think that the attitude of the players is very positive. I think that as long as they stay that way and train that way, you’ll see the team take another step in the right direction improving.”
The Clemson men’s soccer team will next be seen Friday, September 28th as they take on North Carolina away.