Clemson United dominates possession in win over Liberty

CLEMSON — The Clemson Men’s Soccer Team won a rainy affair at Historic Riggs Field on Tuesday, defeating Liberty 1-0.

After an hour of postponement, Clemson United (4-1-2) took to the wet fields with a boost of motivation from their previous win against ACC rival Wake Forest.

In the match’s early minutes, Clemson maintained the bulk of the possession and fought shot after shot at Liberty’s goalkeeper, Owen Moore.

Missed opportunities littered the first parts of the game, as corners, shots, and smooth passes created lanes to score. Due to the conditions and the constant rainfall, however, nothing could go in for the Tigers.

In the 20th minute, junior midfielder Misei Yoshizawa nailed a ball assisted by Ransford Gyan, bottom left, for the game’s first score. A great way to start the match with Yoshizawa’s fourth goal of the season, which leads the team.

The momentum from the early goal carried for the rest of the first half, with the Tigers continuing to dominate possession. At the end of the first half, United led with 16 shots over Liberty’s three.

Another part of Clemson’s unending attack came from their eight corner kicks, constantly putting pressure on Moore and creating opportunities to score.

With time ticking into the second half, Liberty (2-2-1) fired up on offense and fought hard to regain majority possession. Nonetheless, the Tigers managed to defend with near ease and shut down the Liberty attack.

At 10:04 p.m., the game was decided in the 74th minute as a fully-played match due to lighting and harsh weather, and the Clemson Tigers were declared the victors with a 1-0 final score.

Clemson United will head to South Bend, Ind., to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Friday at 7 p.m., hoping to grow their win streak to three.