2023 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team
The 2023 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team represented Clemson University during the 2023 NCAA Division I men's soccer season . They were led by head coach Mike Noonan , in his fourteenth season. They played their home games at Riggs Field . This was the team's 63rd season playing organized men's college soccer and their 36th playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference .
The Tigers started the season with a loss to UCF and a draw with UNC Wilmington . These results saw them fall from their preseason ranking of ninth to unranked. They followed up with non conference wins over rival South Carolina and Presbyterian . They started conference play with a loss to Notre Dame . They would go on to win their next three games, including a conference match-up with Duke . Their first conference loss came at Wake Forest on September 22. That match would be the last match that Clemson would lose for the remainder of the season. They won three straight games before drawing at Syracuse . They would follow that with a win and a draw to close out the regular season with a 9–3–3 overall record and a 4–2–2 ACC record. They were runners up in the Atlantic Division .
The Tigers were the fourth overall seed in the ACC Tournament . They defeated fifth seed Duke in penalties in the Quarterfinals and ninth seed Louisville in the Semifinals to reach the Final. There they faced off against seventh seed North Carolina . The match finished 1–1 and Clemson prevailed in another penalty shootout to win their fifth ACC tournament title.[ 1] The tournament victory earned Clemson the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament . There they were selected as the ninth overall seed. They defeated Charlotte in the second round, eighth seed New Hampshire in the third round, and sixteenth seed Stanford in the Quarterfinals to reach the College Cup . A victory over fifth seed West Virginia saw them reach the national title match against fellow ACC foe Notre Dame. Clemson went on to avenge their regular season loss to Notre Dame and win the title 2–1. The goal allowed in the title match was the only goal allowed by Clemson in the NCAA Tournament. The national title was the fourth in program history and second for head coach Mike Noonan. It was Clemson's second title in three years following their 2021 title .[ 2]
Previous season
The Tigers finished the season 13–7–1 overall and 3–4–1 in ACC play to finish in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. As the eighth overall seed in the ACC Tournament , they defeated Notre Dame in the First Round, top seed Duke in the Quarterfinals, fourth seed Wake Forest in the Semifinals and became the lowest seed to reach the final in ACC Tournament history.[ 3] They came up short in the final losing to eventual National Champion Syracuse 2–0. They received an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament and were awarded the sixth overall seed. After a First Round bye, they lost to UCLA in the Second Round to end their National Title defense.
Player movement
Players leaving
Players Leaving
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Reason for Departure
Trevor Manion
1
GK
6'3"
190
Junior
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
—
Dawson Malcolm
4
DF
6'3"
190
Freshman
Clover, South Carolina
—
Hamady Diop
5
DF
6'0"
186
Junior
Dakar, Senegal
Selected First Overall in 2023 MLS SuperDraft
Dylan Sullivan
6
MF
5'9"
160
Senior
Wappingers Falls, New York
Graduated
Tim Ströbeck
7
FW
6'0"
165
Sophomore
Hässleholm, Sweden
Transferred to Seton Hall
Elton Chifamba
8
MF
5'9"
145
Sophomore
Blacklick, Ohio
Transferred to Syracuse [ 4]
Joey Skinner
13
DF
6'2"
155
Sophomore
Charlotte, North Carolina
Selected thirteenth overall in 2023 MLS SuperDraft
Derek Waleffe
16
MF
5'11"
167
Graduate Student
Madison, Wisconsin
Graduated
Alvaro Gomez
18
MF
5'8"
150
Senior
Toledo, Spain
Graduated
MJ Petry
24
MF
6'3"
155
Freshman
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
—
Isaiah Ried
27
FW
5'10"
150
Senior
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Graduated; Selected thirty fourth overall in 2023 MLS SuperDraft
Ben Erkens
28
DF
6'2"
180
Junior
Greenville, South Carolina
—
Players arriving
Incoming Transfers
Recruiting Class
Squad
Roster
As of January 12, 2024 [ 11]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Team management
Position
Staff
Athletic Director
Graham Neff
Head coach
Mike Noonan
Associate head coach
Philip Jones
Assistant Coach
Camilo Rodriguez
Assistant Coach
Malick Mbaye
Director of Operations
Rob Thompson
Source:[ 12]
Schedule
Source:[ 13] [ 14]
Date Time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition
August 12 *
No. 9
Coker
None Reported
–
Riggs Field Clemson, SC
August 15 *
No. 9
Furman
None Reported
–
Riggs Field Clemson, SC
August 19 *
No. 9
at Georgia State
None Reported
–
GSU Soccer Field Atlanta, GA
Regular season
August 24 * 7:00 p.m.
No. 9
UCF
L 1–2
0–1–0
Riggs Field (4,090) Clemson, SC
August 28 * 7:00 p.m.
No. 9
UNC Wilmington
T 1–1
0–1–1
Riggs Field (1,575) Clemson, SC
September 1 * 7:00 p.m.
South Carolina Rivalry
W 2–0
1–1–1
Riggs Field (4,573) Clemson, SC
September 5 * 7:00 p.m.
Presbyterian
W 6–0
2–1–1
Riggs Field (1,465) Clemson, SC
September 9 7:00 p.m.
at No. 20 Notre Dame
L 2–3
2–2–1 (0–1–0)
Alumni Stadium (1,703)Notre Dame, IN
September 12 * 7:00 p.m.
at South Florida
W 3–2
3–2–1
Corbett Stadium (1,239)Tampa, FL
September 15 7:00 p.m.
No. 8 Duke
W 2–0
4–2–1 (1–1–0)
Riggs Field (2,953) Clemson, SC
September 19 * 7:00 p.m.
Gardner–Webb
W 7–0
5–2–1
Riggs Field (1,173) Clemson, SC
September 22 7:00 p.m.
at No. 14 Wake Forest
L 0–1
5–3–1 (1–2–0)
Spry Stadium (2,528)Winston-Salem, NC
September 29 7:00 p.m.
Virginia Tech
W 2–1
6–3–1 (2–2–0)
Riggs Field (2,876) Clemson, SC
October 3 * 7:00 p.m.
Winthrop
W 4–1
7–3–1
Riggs Field (1,005) Clemson, SC
October 6 7:00 p.m.
No. 21 Louisville
W 4–0
8–3–1 (3–2–0)
Riggs Field (2,575) Clemson, SC
October 15 1:00 p.m.
No. 21
at No. 10 Syracuse
T 1–1
8–3–2 (3–2–1)
SU Soccer Stadium (1,612)Syracuse, NY
October 20 6:00 p.m.
No. 15
Boston College
W 6–0
9–3–2 (4–2–1)
Riggs Field (2,470) Clemson, SC
October 27 7:00 p.m.
No. 10т
at NC State
T 1–1
9–3–3 (4–2–2)
Dail Soccer Field (1,289)Raleigh, NC
ACC Tournament
November 5 * 6:00 p.m., ACCN
(4) No. 14
(5) No. 8 Duke Quarterfinals
T 3–3 (4–1 PKs) 2OT
9–3–4
Riggs Field (2,061) Clemson, SC
November 8 * 8:00 p.m., ACCN
(4) No. 14
(9) Louisville Semifinals
W 5–1
10–3–4
Riggs Field (3,785) Clemson, SC
November 12 12:00 p.m., ESPNU
(4) No. 14
vs. (7) North Carolina Final
T 1–1 (5–3 PKs) 2OT
10–3–5
WakeMed Soccer Park (2,318)Cary, NC
NCAA Tournament
November 19 * 6:30 p.m., ESPN+
(9) No. 14
Charlotte Second Round
W 3–0
11–3–5
Riggs Field (2,897) Clemson, SC
November 25 * 5:00 p.m., ESPN+
(9) No. 14
at (8) No. 10 New Hampshire Third Round
W 1–0
12–3–5
Wildcat Stadium (3,745)Durham, NH
December 2 * 2:00 p.m., ESPN+
(9) No. 14
(16) Stanford Quarterfinals
W 2–0
13–3–5
Riggs Field (5,411) Clemson, SC
December 8 * 6:00 p.m., ESPN+
(9) No. 14
vs. (5) No. 5 West Virginia Semifinals
W 1–0
14–3–5
Lynn Stadium (3,853)Louisville, KY
December 11 * 6:00 p.m., ESPNU
(9) No. 14
vs. (2) No. 4 Notre Dame Final
W 2–1
15–3–5
Lynn Stadium (4,449) Louisville, KY
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from United Soccer Coaches . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern .
Goals Record
Rank
No.
Nat.
Po.
Name
Regular Season
ACC Tournament
NCAA Tournament
Total
1
10
MF
Ousmane Sylla
7
3
3
13
2
15
FW
Alex Meinhard
6
1
0
7
3
9
MF
Mohamed Seye
5
0
0
5
17
FW
Tyler Trimnal
2
2
1
5
25
MF
Nathan Richmond
5
0
0
5
6
11
MF
Brandon Parrish
2
0
2
4
27
DF
Gael Gibert
2
1
1
4
8
6
DF
Joran Gerbet
3
0
0
3
7
FW
Isaiah Easley
2
1
0
3
30
FW
Remi Okunlola
2
1
0
3
11
2
DF
Pape Mar Boye
2
0
0
2
23
MF
Jackson Worbel
2
0
0
2
31
DF
Arthur Duquenne
1
0
1
2
14
20
DF
Shawn Smart
0
0
1
1
Opponent Own Goal
1
0
0
1
Total
42
9
9
60
Disciplinary record
Rank
No.
Nat.
Po.
Name
Regular Season
ACC Tournament
NCAA Tournament
Total
1
20
DF
Shawn Smart
2
0
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
4
0
1
2
2
DF
Pape Mar Boye
2
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
5
0
0
3
DF
Adam Lundegard
3
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
0
4
6
MF
Joran Gerbet
2
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
4
0
0
5
9
MF
Mohamed Seye
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
3
0
0
10
MF
Ousmane Sylla
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
25
MF
Nathan Richmond
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
27
DF
Gael Gibert
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
33
DF
Arthur Duquenne
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
0
0
10
7
FW
Isaiah Easley
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
8
MF
Elton Chifamba
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
11
MF
Brandon Parrish
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
17
FW
Tyler Trimnal
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
14
1
GK
Joseph Andema
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
12
DF
Enrique Montana
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
15
FW
Alex Meinhard
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
19
FW
James Kelly
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
23
MF
Jackson Worbel
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
28
DF
Will Cain
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
30
FW
Remi Okunlola
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
Team
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
Total
30
0
1
7
0
0
11
0
0
48
0
1
Awards and honors
2024 MLS Super Draft
Source:[ 22]
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final United Soccer [ 23] 9 RV — — RV RV RV 21 15 10т 14 14 Not released 1 (7 ) TopDrawer Soccer[ 24] 4 10 18 — 23 24 18 15 12 9 14 11 4 3 2 2 1
References
^ Turri, Alex (November 12, 2023). "Clemson wins the 2023 ACC Championship over North Carolina in penalty kicks" . Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 14, 2023 .
^ "Parrish and Sylla each score to help Clemson beat Notre Dame for program's 4th men's soccer title" . apnews.com . Associated Press . December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023 .
^ "Clemson advances to ACC Men's Soccer Final" . wspa.com . Nexstar Media. November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022 .
^ @eltonchifamba (December 3, 2023). "I'm excited to announce that I've committed and will be transferring to Syracuse University to continue my athletic and academic career. I want to thank God, Coach Mac, the rest of the coaching staff, and my family. I can't wait to get to work! Go Orange! @CuseMSOC 💪🏾🍊" (Tweet ) – via Twitter .
^ a b Olorunfemi, Victor (August 17, 2023). "2023 ACC Men's Preview" . topdrawersoccer.com . Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "Mathieu Brick" . topdrawersoccer.com . Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "Logan Brown" . topdrawersoccer.com . Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "Mason Jimenez" . topdrawersoccer.com . Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "Matthias Leib" . topdrawersoccer.com . Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "Pape Mar Boye" . topdrawersoccer.com . Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "2023-24 Men's Soccer Roster" . clemsontigers.com . Clemson University Athletics. Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "Men's Soccer Staff Directory" . clemsontigers.com . Clemson University Athletic Department. Retrieved January 6, 2023 .
^ "2023-24 Men's Soccer Schedule" . clemsontigers.com . Clemson University Athletics. Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "Clemson United Announces 2023 Schedule" . clemsontigers.com . Clemson University Athletics. June 15, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "2023 Men's MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List Announced" . unitedsoccercoaches.org . United Soccer Coaches . August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023 .
^ "Clemson Selected 2023 Preseason ACC Men's Soccer Favorite" . theacc.com . Atlantic Coast Conference . August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023 .
^ "Clemson's Sylla, Syracuse's Wickham Named ACC Men's Soccer Players of Week" . theacc.com . Atlantic Coast Conference . October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023 .
^ "2023 All-ACC Men's Soccer Team Announced" . theacc.com . Atlantic Coast Conference . November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023 .
^ "Clemson Wins 2023 ACC Men's Soccer Championship" . theacc.com . Atlantic Coast Conference . November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023 .
^ "Parrish and Sylla each score to help Clemson beat Notre Dame for program's 4th men's soccer title" . apnews.com . Associated Press . December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023 .
^ Keepfer, Scott (January 5, 2024). "Clemson's Ousmane Sylla wins Hermann Trophy as college soccer player of the year" . Greenville News . Retrieved January 9, 2024 .
^ "Three Tigers Selected in 2024 MLS SuperDraft" . theacc.com . Atlantic Coast Conference . December 19, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2024 .
^ "United Soccer Coaches Top 25 NCAA DI Men — National" . unitedsoccercoaches.org . United Soccer Coaches. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023 .
^ "College Soccer National Ranking" . topdrawersoccer.com . Top Drawer Soccer. December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023 .
NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship College Cup teams (2020–2029)
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Italic denotes national championship
(*) denotes results which were vacated