The Clemson men’s soccer team has been a powerhouse since the hire of head coach Mike Noonan.
Two national championships. Ten NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 seasons. An ACC Tournament championship, a regular-season ACC title and two ACC Championships. But Thursday night begins a new slate to Clemson United, so they will look to search for their third national championship in four years.
For Noonan, nothing is new at all, putting down the title of “defending national champion”.
“We are not a defending champion,” he said. “Dabo [Swinney] said that after 2018, they are attacking champions. We are attacking champions. Everyone else considers us that way. We don’t consider ourselves at all. We consider ourselves this next version of the Clemson men’s soccer team, and we want to win championships and play for championships.”
The Clemson head coach returns many key pieces, including defender Adam Lundegard, who played in all 22 games for the Tigers last season. While the team celebrated following their national championship, the redshirt junior believes that the team needs to get back to the mental state of the one a year ago.
“I think it’s trying to step up, not being complacent [and] trying to continue to grow after winning something like that is always a challenge,” Lundegard said, “but this program is definitely built for that.”
That does not mean Noonan will have holes to fill, however. The team loses midfielder and Mac Hermann winner Ousmane Sylla, midfielder Brandon Parrish and defender Pape Mar Boye, who all had valuable roles in the Tigers’ postseason run. However, for key returner and goalkeeper Joseph Andema, it only means that other players will step up to the program’s culture.
“It’s a lot similar,” he said. “We lost guys with experience. Everyone moved on to the next level. But, it’s similar because the guys that are coming in here have high expectations because this is a place of history. So everyone comes in here and tries to give their best.”
Two of those new players, who Noonan spoke about as well as many of the players, were freshmen attackers Wahabu Musah and Ransford Gyan. With a loss as big as Sylla to this squad, attacker and co-captain Alex Meinhard likes the duo’s versatile playstyle that could make many different opportunities occur on the attack.
“They can score themselves, they can create themselves but they can also pass and find other players. I think they find a great combination of doing both.”
Despite a change in the roster giving the Tigers a smaller look when watching them in their practices and games, Noonan reassures that his team’s size can be altered at any point in the game.
“We have smaller guys, but I can put out a big lineup,” he said. “We have got size, we are a neat size, and it is to blend and balance.”
Another important change is the difference in Clemson’s defensive line, who will play without Mar Boye and Gael Gibert, who started in all of the Tigers’ games. While new faces could mean a dip in chemistry, Lundegard has used a captain’s leadership to unite the group.
“I think we have brought in some pieces, some really talented pieces,” he said. “I think it’s just about developing those connections, especially as a back line. A lot of it is communication and organization, so just focusing on that and making sure the details are tied together.”
Midfielder and All-ACC first team member Joran Gerbet agrees, being the nucleus of the team in central midfield, bringing up how the team’s mental state has all been in a winning mindset.
“The goals are the same,” Gerbet said. “We want to win everything we can. So, we have to adapt [with] what player we have, what the strengths or the weaknesses they have.”
The team is set for a large crowd when they play at Historic Riggs Field, as Clemson men’s soccer sold 700 season tickets, which was more than 400 more than any other season in the program’s history. The team will unveil their banner for the program’s fourth national championship on Thursday night, when they will face Penn State. For all of the players, whether star players or not, winning is the only thing that they care about, and getting an opening win in front of their home crowd would be the dream start.
“When you get a second to just take a look around the field and really take it all in, with the fans supporting you, it fills you with strength, power and everything you need to get that last goal and get that win,” Lundegard said, looking for his third national championship with the program.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about winning,” Meinhard added. “If I don’t score, that’s fine. We just have to keep winning and hopefully [get] another national championship as well.”
Kickoff is set for 7:00 pm at Historic Riggs Field, with festivities occurring before the game.
