The No. 10 Clemson men’s soccer team won its rivalry game against the South Carolina Gamecocks, winning by a score of 2-0 at Historic Riggs Field on Friday night.
It was the new faces on the team that made the difference, with transfer players Joran Gerbet and Alex Meinhard delivering the goals to give the Tigers its tenth straight win over the Gamecocks, which is now the most consecutive wins against its rival in program history.
Head coach Mike Noonan and his team earned their first win of the season in great fashion, after losing and tying in their first two games against UCF and UNC Wilmington, respectively.
Right from the start, the game brought plenty of physicality and passion, with the packed crowd at Historic Riggs Field making their presence known early. The Tigers almost got on the board early, with midfielder Nathan Richmond finding space outside the box and curling a shot just past the left goalpost.
But like the last two games, Clemson started out on top. In the 23rd minute, after many attacks, the Tigers got one to fall. It started on the right side, where Richmond slotted a low cross to the feet of transfer midfielder Joran Gerbet, who fired a low curled shot that slid past South Carolina goalie Ben Alexander and into the goal to score the first goal of the game. It’s the first goal for Gerbet in a Clemson uniform, who spent his previous seasons at Oregon State, where he won Pac-12 Player of the Year last season.
After Gerbet’s goal, the game became a chess match, with the Gamecocks beginning to get chances. The Clemson defense was able to hold up, keeping Clemson up with a close lead going into halftime.
After halftime, the rivalry aspect of the game began to show, with some drama occurring in the middle of the second half. With 33 minutes remaining, freshman defender Arthur Duquenne found himself in the box after winning the ball over a South Carolina defender, and the two were both brought down. The referee said to play on, and the crowd was not a fan. Two minutes later, Richmond made a move and was brought down by South Carolina’s Jordan Illian, and the referee did not call a penalty, angering the crowd.
But in the final ten minutes, the Tigers delivered the knockout blow. Off of a corner, a bouncing ball in the box found the feet of Meinhard, who pounced on the opportunity and put the ball into the back of the net. Like Gerbet, the goal is the Tulsa transfer’s first as a Clemson Tiger, with hopefully more goals to come as the season goes on.
After the game, Meinhard spoke to the media about how the goal felt.
“It was awesome, I was waiting for it and my teammates were waiting for it as well,” the forward said. “I’m just super happy.”
Goalkeeper Joseph Andema and his defense earn their first shutout of the season, extending another rivalry streak. With a shutout against the Gamecocks, it marks the fourth straight clean sheet against their rival.
Next up for Clemson, they will host the final game of their four-game homestand, hoping to string some wins together with a matchup against Presbyterian on Tuesday night.
