# 2020 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team

The 2020 Clemson Tigers men's soccer team represented Clemson University during the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Tigers were led by head coach Mike Noonan, in his eleventh season. They played home games at Riggs Field. This was the team's 60th season playing organized men's college soccer and their 33rd playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The teams' 2020 season was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which curtailed the fall season and caused the NCAA Tournament to be played in spring 2021. The ACC was one of the only two conferences in men's soccer to play in the fall of 2020. The ACC also held a mini-season during the spring of 2021.
The Tigers finished the fall season 8–2–1 and 3–2–1 in ACC play to finish in third place in the North Division. They won the ACC Tournament by defeating Virginia Tech, Virginia and Pittsburgh in the final. They finished the spring season 4–1–1 and 4–1–1 in ACC play, to finish in first place in the Atlantic Division. They received the ACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after defeating Pittsburgh in a game for the bid. As the first seed in the tournament, they defeated American in the Second Round before losing to Marshall in the Third Round on penalty kicks to end their season.

## Background

The 2019 Clemson men's soccer team finished the season with a 18–2–2 overall record and a 6–1–1 ACC record. The Tigers won the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division, and were seeded first–overall in the 2019 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament. They defeated Notre Dame and Pittsburgh before falling to Virginia in the final. The Tigers received an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. Seeded second-overall, they defeated Charlotte and Providence before losing to Stanford in the Quarterfinals.
At the end of the season, three Tigers men's soccer players wer selected in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft: Robbie Robinson, Tanner Dieterich, and Malick Mbaye.

## Player movement
### Players leaving

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Daniel Kuzemka | 1 | GK | 6'1" | 185 | Sophomore | Clifton, Virginia | Transferred to Charlotte |
| Judson Burns | 2 | DF | 5'8" | 165 | Freshman | Argyle, Texas | Transferred to SMU |
| Malick Mbaye | 5 | DF | 6'0" | 168 | Senior | Dakar, Senegal | Drafted 33rd overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC |
| Tanner Dieterich | 6 | DF | 6'0" | 170 | Senior | Nashville, Tennessee | Drafted 28th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by Nashville SC |
| Robbie Robinson | 7 | FW | 6'2" | 170 | Junior | Camden, South Carolina | Drafted 1st overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by Inter Miami |
| Adrian Nunez | 10 | FW | 5'7" | 150 | Senior | San José, Costa Rica | Graduated |
| Adam Yorke | 12 | FW | 6'1" | 175 | Freshman | Redondo Beach, California | |
| Cale Thorne | 16 | MF | 6'0" | 193 | Junior | Baltimore, Maryland | Graduated |
| Izzy Garcia-Perez | 21 | FW | 5'9" | 157 | Freshman | Asheville, North Carolina | |
| Nolan Lennon | 22 | GK | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Piedmont, South Carolina | Graduated |
| Sindri Björnsson | 23 | MF | 6'1" | 180 | Junior | Brieðholt, Iceland | Transferred to Villanova |
| Nate Hall | 28 | FW | 5'4" | 145 | Junior | Baltimore, Maryland | Graduated |

### Players arriving

| Name | Nat. | Hometown | Club |
| Hamady Diop DF | SEN | Dakar, Senegal | Montverde Academy |
| Ben Erkens DF | USA | Greenville, SC | Carolina Elite Soccer Academy |
| Joshua Hallenberger MF | USA | Perland, TX | Houston Dynamo |
| Trevor Manion GK | USA | Phoenixville, PA | Penn Fusion SA |
| Brandon Parrish MF | USA | Fairview, TN | Darlington Academy |
| Titus Sandy Jr DF | USA | Matthews, NC | Charlotte Soccer Academy |
| Ousmane Sylla MF | SEN | Dakar, Senegal | Montverde Academy |
| Seth Wilson GK | USA | Frisco, TX | FC Dallas Academy |

## Squad
### Roster

Updated March 21, 2021
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 | Max Fisher |
| 1 | GK | USA | George Marks (captain) |
| 2 | DF | USA | Ben Erkens |
| 3 | DF | SWE | Oskar Ågren |
| 4 | DF | SEN | Justin Malou |
| 5 | DF | SEN | Hamady Diop |
| 6 | DF | USA | Dylan Sullivan |
| 8 | MF | USA | Callum Johnson |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Kimarni Smith |
| 10 | MF | ECU | Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador |
| 11 | FW | USA | Grayson Barber |
| 12 | DF | USA | Enrique Montana III |
| 13 | MF | USA | John Martin |
| 14 | MF | ESP | Mohamed Seye |
| 15 | DF | USA | Charlie Asensio |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | MF | USA | Quinn McNeill |
| 18 | MF | ESP | Alvaro Gomez |
| 19 | FW | USA | Chris Matlashewki |
| 20 | MF | KEN | Philip Mayaka |
| 21 | MF | SEN | Osmane Sylla |
| 22 | GK | USA | Trevor Manion |
| 23 | FW | USA | Josh Hallenberger |
| 24 | MF | USA | Stirling Russell |
| 25 | FW | USA | James Brighton (captain) |
| 26 | DF | USA | Jake Barron |
| 27 | DF | USA | Isaiah Reid |
| 28 | FW | USA | Matthew Boberg |
| 29 | MF | USA | Brandon Parrish |
| 30 | DF | USA | Titus Sandy Jr. |
| 32 | DF | USA | Tyler Hutchinson |
Prior to the season, George Marks and James Brighton were named co-captains of the team.

### Team management

| Position | Staff |
| Athletic Director | Dan Radakovich |
| Head coach | Mike Noonan |
| Associate head coach | Philip Jones |
| Assistant Coach | Camilo Rodriguez |
| Director of Operations | Rob Thompson |
Source:

## Schedule

Source:
| Date Time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (Attendance) City, State |
| Fall Exhibition ||||||
| September 11, 2020* 7:00 p.m. | | at Virginia | Cancelled | – (–) | Klöckner Stadium Charlottesville, VA |
| Fall Regular season ||||||
| September 18, 2020 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Wake Forest | Postponted | | Riggs Field Clemson, SC |
| September 25, 2020 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | North Carolina | Postponted | | Riggs Field Clemson, SC |
| October 1, 2020* 7:00 p.m. | No. 3 | at South Carolina Rivalry | W 3–0 | 1–0–0 | Stone Stadium (460) Columbia, SC |
| October 5, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 3 | UAB | W 2–0 | 2–0–0 | Riggs Field (748) Clemson, SC |
| October 9, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 3 | at North Carolina | L 0–1 | 2–1–0 (0–1–0) | Dorrance Field (0) Chapel Hill, NC |
| October 13, 2020 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | No. 1 Wake Forest | W 2–1 | 3–1–0 (1–1–0) | Riggs Field (1,000) Clemson, SC |
| October 16, 2020 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | Duke | W 2–1 $^{2OT}$ | 4–1–0 (2–1–0) | Riggs Field (1,000) Clemson, SC |
| October 23, 2020 8:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 3 | at NC State | W 1–0 | 5–1–0 (3–1–0) | Dail Soccer Field (88) Raleigh, NC |
| October 27, 2020 7:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 3 | No. 5 North Carolina | T 3–3 $^{2OT}$ | 5–1–1 (3–1–1) | Riggs Field (1,000) Clemson, SC |
| October 30, 2020 6:00 p.m., RSN | No. 3 | No. 2 Wake Forest | L 0–2 | 5–2–1 (3–2–1) | Spry Stadium (0) Winston-Salem, NC |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| November 15, 2020 Noon, ACCN | (S3) No. 4 | vs. (N2) No. 5 Virginia Tech Quarterfinals | W 4–1 | 6–2–1 | Koskinen Stadium (0) Durham, NC |
| November 18, 2020 6:00 p.m., ACCN | (S3) No. 2 | vs. (N4) Virginia Semifinals | W 2–1 | 7–2–1 | Dorrance Field (50) Chapel Hill, NC |
| November 18, 2020 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | (S3) No. 2 | vs. (N1) No. 1 Pittsburgh Final | W 2–1 | 8–2–1 | WakeMed Soccer Park (350) Cary, NC |
| Spring Exhibition ||||||
| February 20, 2021* 4:00 p.m. | | vs. North Carolina | L 0–1 | – | CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex (0) Pineville, NC |
| Spring Regular season ||||||
| March 7, 2021 5:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | Syracuse | W 3–1 | 9–2–1 (4–2–1) | Riggs Field (813) Clemson, SC |
| March 13, 2021 5:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | at No. 21 Virginia Tech | W 1–0 $^{2OT}$ | 10–2–1 (5–2–1) | Thompson Field (250) Blacksburg, VA |
| March 20, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | NC State | W 1–0 | 11–2–1 (6–2–1) | Riggs Field (753) Clemson, SC |
| March 27, 2021 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | at Boston College | W 3–2 | 12–2–1 (7–2–1) | Newton Soccer Complex (35) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| April 2, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | No. 4 Wake Forest | T 0–0 $^{2OT}$ | 12–2–2 (7–2–2) | Riggs Field (1,000) Clemson, SC |
| April 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | at Louisville | L 1–2 | 12–3–2 (7–3–2) | Lynn Stadium (0) Louisville, KY |
| NCAA Automatic Bid Play-In ||||||
| April 17, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 4 | No. 1 Pittsburgh | W 2–0 | 13–3–2 | Riggs Field (1,000) Clemson, SC |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| May 2, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN3 | (1) No. 1 | vs. American Second Round | W 2–1 | 14–3–2 | Spry Stadium (182) Winston-Salem, NC |
| May 6, 2021 3:00 p.m., NCAA Livestream | (1) No. 1 | vs. No. 10 Marshall Third Round | T 1–1 (6–7 PKs) $^{2OT}$ | 14–3–3 | WakeMed Soccer Park (185) Cary, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Goals Record

| Rank | No. | Nat. | Po. | Name | Regular Season | ACC Tournament | NCAA Tournament | Total |
| 1 | 9 | | FW | Kimarni Smith | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | 25 | | FW | James Brighton | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | 16 | | MF | Callum Johnson | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | 14 | | MF | Mohamed Seye | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | 5 | | DF | Hamady Diop | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | 10 | | MF | Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | 11 | | FW | Grayson Barber | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | 17 | | MF | Quinn McNeill | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | 27 | | DF | Isaiah Reid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | | DF | Justin Malou | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | 21 | | MF | Ousmane Sylla | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 22 | 10 | 3 | 35 |

## 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 | 3 | DF | | Oskar Ågren | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 10 | MF | | Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 14 | FW | | Mohamed Seye | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 |
| 4 | 11 | FW | | Grayson Barber | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 20 | MF | | Philip Mayaka | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 8 | MF | | Callum Johnson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 17 | MF | | Quinn McNeill | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 24 | MF | | Stirling Russell | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 4 | DF | | Justin Malou | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 5 | DF | | Hamady Diop | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 9 | FW | | Kimarni Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 13 | MF | | John Martin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 15 | DF | | Charlie Asensio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 21 | MF | | Osmane Sylla | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 27 | DF | | Isaiah Reid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 29 | FW | | Brandon Parrish | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 21 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 0 |

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date |
| Mohamed Seye | Co-offensive Player of the Week | October 5, 2020 |
| Kimarni Smith | Co-offensive Player of the Week | October 19, 2020 |
| George Marks | Defensive Player of the Week | October 19, 2020 |
| Grayson Barber | Co-offensive Player of the Week | October 26, 2020 |
| Oskar Ågren | Defensive Player of the Week | October 26, 2020 |
| Kimarni Smith | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 22, 2020 |
| Justin Malou | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 22, 2020 |
| Grayson Barber | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 22, 2020 |
| Philip Mayaka | All-ACC Tournament Team | November 22, 2020 |
| Kimarni Smith | ACC Tournament MVP | November 22, 2020 |
| Justin Malou | MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist | January 28, 2021 |
| Kimarni Smith | MAC Hermann Trophy Watchlist | January 28, 2021 |
| Grayson Barber | All ACC First-Team | April 14, 2021 |
| Philip Mayaka | All ACC First-Team | April 14, 2021 |
| Kimarni Smith | All ACC First-Team | April 14, 2021 |
| Oskar Ågren | All ACC Second-Team | April 14, 2021 |
| Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador | All ACC Third-Team | April 14, 2021 |
| Justin Malou | All ACC Third-Team | April 14, 2021 |
| George Marks | All ACC Third-Team | April 14, 2021 |
| Hamady Diop | All ACC Rookie Team | April 14, 2021 |
| Ousmane Sylla | All ACC Rookie Team | April 14, 2021 |

## 2021 MLS Super Draft

| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
| Philip Mayaka | Colorado Rapids | 1 | 3 | MF |
| Kimarni Smith | D.C. United | 1 | 4 | FW |
| Justin Malou | Columbus Crew | 1 | 27 | DF |
Source:

## Rankings
### Fall 2020

Ranking movement Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes. :
| Poll | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Final |
| United Soccer | 2 | 3 | 3 | | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |

### Spring 2021

Ranking movement Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Final |
| United Soccer | None Released | None Released | None Released | None Released | 1 (16) | 1 (23) | 1 (19) | 1 (24) | 1 (23) | 3 (4) | 4 (1) | 1 (21) | None Released | None Released | 7 |
| TopDrawer Soccer | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 |