On a rainy night at Historic Riggs Field, the Clemson soccer team defeated the Liberty Flames by a score of 1-0 in a mid-week matchup. The game was stopped in the 74th minute due to a suspension from lightning.
Due to weather, and according to NCAA rules, the Tigers won by a 70-minute victory and the contest will not be rescheduled.
Throughout the full 74 minutes of play, the Tigers (5-1-2) dominated the Flames from start to finish, as the team outshot the away side by 18 shots.
The Tigers scored the only goal in the 21st minute from a missed cross by midfielder Ransford Gyan. Seconds later, forward Misei Yoshizawa intercepted the ball from a Liberty defender and fired it past goalkeeper Owen Moore. Yoshizawa now has four goals on the season, which is a team-high in the opening seven games. Gyan added his first assist of his collegiate career.
What the Tigers struggled with in the contest was finding the net with the shots that they took. The team had 21 shots, seven of those on goal, with only one finding the back of the net. The team also had 14 corners, but no goals were scored.
The team had great chances and was unable to capitalize on its chances. Forward Tyler Trimnal fired a shot right at Moore in the 42nd minute that the goalkeeper was able to parry. Two minutes later, a half-volley by the junior sailed over the bar.
The Tigers had their chances on corners as well. In the 60th minute, Yoshizawa found the head of defender Adam Lundegard on a corner, but Lundegard put the ball over the crossbar.
The Flames (2-3-1) were unable to find opportunities throughout the shortened contest, only putting one shot on goal past the Clemson defense. Andema logged only one save in the win.
Andema also earned his fourth shutout of the season following the win, with the team keeping a clean sheet in five of its first seven games.
The team has now outscored its opponents 11-2 in the last five games, with a young defense proving its worth early on.
Next up, the Tigers will travel to South Bend, Indiana, to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday night in a rematch of the 2023 National Championship last December.
