# 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. 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.

## 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. 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 |
| 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

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Joran Gerbet | 6 | MF | 5'11" | 160 | Junior | Valence, France | Oregon State |
| Alex Meinhard | 15 | FW | 6'0" | 178 | Senior | Tartu, Estonia | Tulsa |
| Jackson Wrobel | 23 | MF | 5'9" | 162 | Junior | Madison, Alabama | Wofford |
| Gael Gibert | 27 | DF | 6'0" | 184 | Graduate Student | Theirs, France | Oregon State |

#### Recruiting Class

| Name | Nat. | Hometown | Club |
| Mathieu Brick DF | USA | Oviedo, Florida | Atlanta United 2 |
| Logan Brown GK | USA | Spartanburg, South Carolina | Charlotte FC Academy |
| Mason Jimenez MF | USA | San Diego, California | Albion SC |
| Matthias Leib DF | USA | Birmingham, Alabama | Briarwood Christian School |
| Pape Mar Boye DF | SEN | Dakar, Senegal | N/A |

## Squad
### Roster

    As of January 12, 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 0 | GK | USA | Patrick Donovan |
| 1 | GK | GHA | Joseph Andema |
| 2 | DF | SEN | Pape Mar Boye |
| 3 | DF | USA | Adam Lundegard |
| 5 | DF | USA | Terry Watson |
| 6 | DF | FRA | Joran Gerbet |
| 7 | FW | USA | Isaiah Easley |
| 9 | MF | ESP | Mohamed Seye |
| 10 | MF | SEN | Osmane Sylla |
| 11 | MF | USA | Brandon Parrish |
| 12 | DF | USA | Enrique Montana III |
| 13 | DF | USA | Mathieu Brick |
| 14 | DF | USA | Titus Sandy Jr. |
| 15 | FW | EST | Alex Meinhard |
| 16 | MF | USA | Mason Jimenez |
| 17 | FW | USA | Tyler Trimnal |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | DF | USA | Matthias Leib |
| 19 | FW | USA | James Kelly |
| 20 | DF | USA | Shawn Smart |
| 21 | MF | USA | Noah Behrmann |
| 22 | GK | USA | Aiden Hampton |
| 23 | MF | USA | Jackson Worbel |
| 25 | MF | USA | Nathan Richmond |
| 26 | FW | ITA | Marco Garcia |
| 27 | DF | FRA | Gael Gibert |
| 28 | DF | ENG | Will Cain |
| 29 | DF | BRA | Rafael Borlido |
| 30 | FW | USA | Remi Okunlola |
| 31 | GK | USA | Logan Brown |
| 33 | DF | FRA | Arthur Duquenne |
| 34 | MF | USA | Samir Dishnica |

### 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:

## Schedule

Source:
| 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 |
| 3 | 17 | | FW | Tyler Trimnal | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | 25 | | MF | Nathan Richmond | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | 11 | | MF | Brandon Parrish | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | 27 | | DF | Gael Gibert | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | 6 | | DF | Joran Gerbet | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 7 | | FW | Isaiah Easley | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 | 30 | | FW | Remi Okunlola | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 11 | 2 | | DF | Pape Mar Boye | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | 23 | | MF | Jackson Worbel | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | 31 | | DF | Arthur Duquenne | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | 20 | | DF | Shawn Smart | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Opponent Own Goal | Opponent Own Goal | Opponent Own Goal | Opponent Own Goal | Opponent Own Goal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 42 | 9 | 9 | 60 |

## Disciplinary record

| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Regular Season | Regular Season | Regular Season | ACC Tournament | ACC Tournament | ACC Tournament | NCAA Tournament | NCAA Tournament | NCAA Tournament | Total | Total | 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 |
| 2 | 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 |
| 5 | 10 | | MF | Ousmane Sylla | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 25 | | MF | Nathan Richmond | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 27 | | DF | Gael Gibert | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 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 |
| 10 | 8 | | MF | Elton Chifamba | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 11 | | MF | Brandon Parrish | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 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 |
| 14 | 12 | | DF | Enrique Montana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 15 | | FW | Alex Meinhard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 19 | | FW | James Kelly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 23 | | MF | Jackson Worbel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 28 | | DF | Will Cain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 30 | | FW | Remi Okunlola | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | Team | Team | Team | Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 30 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 1 |

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date |
| Alex Meinhard | Pre-Season Hermann Trophy Watchlist | August 24, 2023 |
| Ousmane Sylla | Pre-Season All-ACC Team | August 26, 2023 |
| Ousmane Sylla | ACC Offensive Player of the Week | October 10, 2023 |
| Ousmane Sylla | All-ACC First Team | November 8, 2023 |
| Brandon Parrish | All-ACC Second Team | November 8, 2023 |
| Joran Gerbet | All-ACC Third Team | November 8, 2023 |
| Pape Mar Boye | All-ACC Third Team | November 8, 2023 |
| Nathan Richmond | All-ACC Third Team | November 8, 2023 |
| Pape Mar Boye | All-ACC Freshman Team | November 8, 2023 |
| Ousmane Sylla | ACC Tournament MVP | November 12, 2023 |
| Gael Gerbet | ACC All-Tournament Team | November 12, 2023 |
| Ousmane Sylla | ACC All-Tournament Team | November 12, 2023 |
| Joran Gerbet | ACC All-Tournament Team | November 12, 2023 |
| Alex Meinhard | ACC All-Tournament Team | November 12, 2023 |
| Ousmane Sylla | NCAA Tournament Offensive MVP | December 11, 2023 |
| Pape Mar Boye | NCAA Tournament Defensive MVP | December 11, 2023 |
| Ousmane Sylla | Hermann Trophy | January 5, 2024 |

## 2024 MLS Super Draft

| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
| Brandon Parrish | D.C. United | 2 | 36 | MF |
| Ousmane Sylla | Houston Dynamo | 2 | 55 | MF |
| Nathan Richmond | Charlotte FC | 3 | 70 | MF |
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| United Soccer | 9 | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 15 | 10т | 14 | 14 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 1 (7) |
| TopDrawer Soccer | 4 | 10 | 18 | — | 23 | 24 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |