Ho hum, 4-3 Tigers. Same old same old. Richards for the Hermann. The debate is whether it's better to beat the Cocks 5-0 or let them think they have a chance and then snatch it away in the last ten minutes. Anyone at the game?
Clemson won? I was following on Gametraker off the Clemson Website and it has the score as 4-3 SC. No wait, just double checked now it says 4-3 CU, but play-by play has SC with 4 goals and Clemson with 3. It say SC goal by Scannella in the 83rd 4-3 USC. How do you mess that up. It can get football and baseball right, but it can't score soccer right. This is why it is tough to be a college soccer fan. Can't drive to the games, no tv, no radio, even the internet gets it all wrong. Anyway, I feel much better now that the scoreline is reversed.
Not only Richards heroics, but Moojen's goal and game-winning assist to Richards in the 83rd minute indicates the offensive power up top of Clemson already. But they will not repeat last year's success without improved defensive performance during the season.
I think Moojen has quickly answered in the affirmative any questions about whether his goal-scoring prowess in D-II and the PDL would translate to D-I. Then again, it was only South Carolina...
I was at the game...sheeplover I was sad that you missed it- it was a classic scene...imagine ian fuller and curt reuniting on enemy soil...amidst a last minute Clemson win... a great game for spectators in terms of the suspense, the atmosphere (over 5,000 fans), the emotion of the rivalry and the number of goals...but overall not very well played by either team. I would say that clemson had the better play, i.e. more positive buildups and more frequent attempts to posess the ball, but defensive mistakes forced the Tigers to work twice as hard to earn the win. south carolina's first goal was a well struck shot by smith about 25 minutes in that simply beat Marfuggi. it went against the run of play and was the gamecock's first legitimate chance of the game. Clemson tied the game about fifteen minutes later and five before halftime on a free kick from Mark Buchholz that the SC keeper had little chance to save. a well placed shot from about 25 yards out that was hit low to the far post- hit the post and went in. SC's second goal was an own goal that was a combination of luck and poor defensive communication. the ball bounced about waist high at the far post and the Clemson defender had a difficult time trying to decide how to play the ball or let Marfuggi come out to win it- all while under pressure...an awkward play to be sure. what was worse for Clemson is that the goal came with about 1:30 left in the half. Clemson rebounded well (a trend over the course of the game) and Moojen pulled the Tigers level off of a corner kick about a minute into the second half- a short corner to Hector Quintanar, who whipped the ball into the box ultimately resulting in a clean finish from Moojen in traffic. Moojen displayed great composure all day- played well with his back to goal, looked comfortable with the ball at his feet and had the pass of the day on his assist for the game winner. at 2-2 it certainly felt that the Tigers had overcome some shaky defending and were ready to pull away...and about 10 minutes later Smith scored his second of the day...on an uncharacteristic mistake by Marfuggi. Smith hit a shot from the sideline that looked more like a cross...a floater that fooled Marfuggi and found the net, much to the surpise of everyone on earth. Clemson's consolation at that point was that there was still plenty of time (40 minutes) and Dane Richards is embarrasingly faster than anyone in the SC backline. Once the excitement of the home crowed settled down, Clemson began the process of wearing down the SC defense. the gamecocks had no answer for Richards, Moojen or Bell for that matter who had at least two great chances that he was unable to convert. as the game began to spread out, Richards became all the more dangerous...and his first goal was ALL about his speed. an SC defender misplayed the ball and Richards zoomed by everyone and collected an easy tap in. 3-3 and Clemson smelled blood. at one point Clemson held posession in the final third for about 3 minutes and must have had 2 or 3 great chances. SC was tiring and was not organized well enough to keep up with Clemson's ball movement. the panic button had officially been hit, as SC had a number of poor clearances and desperate play. the final goal was earned through Moojen's pass- he collected the ball about 50 yards from goal and sensed the SC defenders flying towards him- due mostly to his solid play early in the game- after drawing the defenders towards him, he played a perfectly weighted pass behind the man attempting to contain Richards who bolted by him, beat the SC keeper and hit a left footed shot into an empty net from a tight angle. 4-3 Clemson. A great result to start the season for Clemson- and really a good first game to the extent that it was a tough test in a hostile environment that revealed several things that the Tigers will no doubt work on in practice. Anyone who knows Clemson soccer knows that the Tigers generally start a little slow but hit thier stride about a third of the way through the season. the Tigers defeinitely felt the loss of Moore and Sturgis last night, but with a few more games I think the Tiger backline will be solid as always. my compliments to the SC fans- the assinine commentary was kept to a minimum and the place was packed and loud. a great atmosphere for both teams to play in. on an unrelated note....did anyone else think Berson looked like he was terrified? does he even coach anymore? Molinary was all over the place, had the majority of the sideline communication and showed much more emotion. Berson looked overwhelmed. thoughts?