Coming off a goalless tie against No. 4 Wake Forest, the NC State men’s soccer team fell to No. 1 Clemson after a late 86th-minute penalty for the Tigers separated the two sides.
The Wolfpack (2-8-2, 0-7-2 ACC) continued to struggle on offense and managed zero shots in the first half. On the other end, The Tigers (11-2-1, 6-2-1 ACC) performed slightly better on offense, managing five first-half shots, with zero truly testing redshirt junior keeper Leon Krapf, who was involved with much of the action but had to make no saves.
The first half was a battle of midfield with neither team being able to make much headway on the offensive end of the ball. Clemson’s best opportunities came from its four corner kicks, two of which found the top of a Tiger player’s head. Both shots just went slightly over the bar and didn’t worry the Wolfpack too much.
The Wolfpack had a few moments of attacking potential but was never able to get through the tough Clemson defense led by senior Justin Malou. The best opportunity for the Pack came at the very end of the first half when senior midfielder George Asomani made a streaking run on the counter-attack. This chance ended when Clemson’s Mohamed Seye pulled Asomani down from behind. Seye was given a yellow card for the counter-attack-ending challenge and the contest remained scoreless
Both squads seemed to prioritize possession more than anything in this matchup as both played back and looked to keep the game close through about the first hour of play.
The beginning of the second half was all Clemson, which came out firing and managed to keep the ball just in front of the Wolfpack goal.
The Wolfpack finally managed to get shot off four minutes into the second half when junior forward Ivy Brisma sent one well wide of the goal. At this point, neither team had managed a shot on goal, although Clemson was outshooting the Wolfpack 6-1.
The first major chance of the game came from a Wolfpack corner kick in the 59th minute. The ball was sent in far post and while junior forward Kuda Muskwe managed to get a close-range header on target, Clemson keeper George Marks made an amazing save in traffic to claw the ball out of the goal. The save sent the ball into a dangerous area for the Pack, where junior midfielder Aidan Foster blasted a shot off the underside of the bar. The Wolfpack players called for a goal but the ball did not fully cross the line.
This moment created the first save and first shot on goal of the entire game. In a contest dominated by Clemson, the Wolfpack seemed to have a spark because of this close chance, getting extremely unlucky with the wasted opportunity.
Clemson had the next major chance when it looked like it had the sure game-winner after being awarded a penalty with only 10 minutes remaining. After being sent through on a guiding pass, Seye was taken down in the box by Wolfpack senior defender Jamie Smith. Clemson’s Callum Johnson lined up for the shot and sent it hard and fast down the middle, but Krapf made an amazing save, sending the ball over the bar and keeping the game scoreless.
Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, only six minutes later in the 86th minute, the Tigers were awarded another penalty kick, again at the hands of a foul by Smith. This time Krapf was unable to keep the ball out of the net as Hamady Diop smashed home the eventual game-winner.
Clemson was able to escape a tough challenge from NC State because of some good luck early and two penalties at the end of the game. Overall, the Tigers created more chances, outshooting the Wolfpack 13-5. Both squads had two shots on goal, with both of Clemson’s being penalty kicks. The Wolfpack gave a valiant effort but came up just short.
NC State returns home next Friday, March 26 when it faces Syracuse at 7 p.m.
