The Clemson Tigers men's soccer team represent Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer. The program has won 4 NCAA national championships, 16 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, and hosted 4 Hermann Trophy winners (Bruce Murray in 1987, Wojtek Krakowiak in 1998, Robbie Robinson in 2019, and Ousmane Sylla in 2023).
History
Clemson began sponsoring a soccer team in 1934, playing a hybrid schedule of colleges and prep schools. The team was discontinued after the 1939 season. In 1967, the university decided to re-add soccer as a varsity sport. Dr. I. M. Ibrahim, who was a chemistry professor at the time, was chosen to lead the program. In the program's inaugural season, the team posted a 6–5 record. From 1967 to 1971, the Tigers posted four winning seasons overall, but were consistently in the bottom tier of the ACC.
The 1972 season proved to be a breakout year for the Tigers. The Tigers went undefeated in conference play to capture the first of eight straight ACC titles and finished the year with a 13–1–1 record and earned their first trip to the NCAA tournament. The 1973 season would prove to be even more successful, as the Tigers went 16–1 and made it to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. By the end of the decade, the Tigers had 8 conference titles, 3 trips to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, an Elite 8 appearance, 3 Final Four appearances, and finished the 1979 season as national runners-up.
Clemson's streak of ACC titles and NCAA appearances was broken during the 1980 season, but the Tigers rebounded with conference titles during the 1981, 1982, and 1985 seasons (Clemson's last before the ACC adopted its tournament format) and five straight appearances in the NCAA tournament. The 1984 season saw the Tigers finally reach the summit of national prominence, as the Tigers went 22–4 against a very tough schedule and won the 1984 National Championship. During the 1984 NCAA Tournament, Clemson had to face the top four seeds in the tournament (Alabama A&M, Virginia, UCLA, and Indiana). After failing to make the NCAA tournament in 1986, the Tigers earned their second national championship during the 1987 season. The Tigers finished the 1987 regular season 13–5–1, but had struggled during conference play. Reportedly, the Tigers were the 23rd team selected for the 24-team NCAA tournament. The Tigers, however, won three straight road games, which included an upset of #1-ranked Indiana (who hadn't lost an NCAA tournament home game prior to the match), and was chosen to host the Final Four at Riggs Field. In the semifinals, the Tigers avenged two earlier losses to North Carolina and, in the championship game, knocked off San Diego State (another surprise finalist). In addition, Bruce Murray won the 1987 Hermann Trophy (the first Clemson player to win the award).
The 1990s saw the first change of head coaches in school history, as Dr. Ibrahim retired after the 1994 season and was replaced by Brown head coach Trevor Adair. The Tigers captured their first ACC Tournament championship in 1998, won 3 ACC regular season titles (1990, 1993, and 1998), and had another player honored with the Hermann Trophy (Wojtek Krakowiak, 1998). The Tigers made 6 appearances in the NCAA tournament, with their best finishes being trips to the Elite 8 in 1997 and 1998.
During the 2001 season, the Tigers captured their second ACC Tournament championship and advanced to the Elite 8. After another Elite 8 run in 2002, the Tigers experienced a down time, failing to advance out of the first round in 2003 and missing the NCAA tournament altogether in 2004. The 2005 squad, however, would make a strong run during the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Final Four for the first time since the 1987 squad's national title.
The 2006 team would make the round of 16, falling to eventual runner-up UCLA. The 2008 squad, despite not making the tournament, was one of only two teams in the country to defeat both national champion Maryland and national runner-up North Carolina during the season.
Trevor Adair resigned as head coach of the Tigers on June 16, 2009, two months after being placed on a leave of absence after reportedly assaulting his two daughters during a domestic dispute. Assistant coach Phil Hindson was promoted to interim head coach for the 2009 season, marking only the second change in head coaches in Tiger history. The Tigers struggled through the 2009 season, finishing with a final record of 6–12–1 despite a victory over national champion Virginia during the season.
On January 5, 2010, it was announced that former Brown head coach Mike Noonan was hired as Clemson's fourth head soccer coach. Since Coach Noonan took over, the Tigers have slowly risen back to prominence, returning to the NCAA tournament in 2013 and winning their 14th ACC championship in 2014. In 2015, the Tigers advanced to the finals of the NCAA College Cup for the first time since 1987, falling in the national championship match to Stanford. In 2016, the Tigers finished runners up in the ACC Tournament and advanced to the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. In 2019, the Tigers would win the ACC Atlantic Division, finished runners up in the ACC tournament, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. In addition, Robbie Robinson became the third Clemson player to win the Hermann Trophy. Robinson was drafted first overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, becoming the first Clemson men's soccer player to be drafted first overall. 2021 was a landmark year for the program and coach Noonan as the Tigers won the national title for the third time in program history and had a school-record six players drafted in the MLS Draft. 2023 was also a banner year for the team as they won their second national title in three years. They defeated Notre Dame 2–1 in the title match after not having allowed a goal in the tournament leading up to the final. They also won the ACC Tournament in 2023, with a penalty shoot-out victory over North Carolina. Ousmane Sylla also became the fourth Clemson player to win the Hermann Trophy.
Players
Current roster
Notable alumni
Current professionals
Rob Marinaro (1987–1991) – Currently head coach of Kent State (women) Miles Joseph (1992–1995) – Currently associate head coach with Charlotte FC Wolde Harris (1993-1995) – Currently assistant coach with Toronto FC Jeff Bilyk (1995–1998) – Currently head coach of Charlotte Independence Academy Eric Quill (1996) – Currently head coach of FC Dallas Paul Stalteri (1996–1997) – Currently assistant coach with Canada Ian Fuller (1998–2001) – Currently head coach of One Knoxville SC Oguchi Onyewu (2000–2001) – Currently assistant sporting director of United States Soccer Federation Stuart Holden (2003–2004) – Currently Fox Sports TV Analyst Cody Mizell (2010–2012) – Currently goalkeeping coach with D.C. United Amadou Dia (2011–2014) – Currently with Louisville City FC Phanuel Kavita (2011–2014) – Currently with Birmingham Legion FC Tommy McNamara (2013) – Currently with Brooklyn FC Diego Campos (2014–2017) – Currently with Bali United F.C. Aaron Jones (2014–2016) – Currently with Sutton United F.C. Iman Mafi (2014–2017) – Currently with FK Jerv Daniel Kuzemka (2017–2019) – Currently with Charleston Battery Kimarni Smith (2018–2020) – Currently with One Knoxville SC George Marks (2018–2021) – Currently with Philadelphia Union Philip Mayaka (2019–2020) – Currently with Athletic Club Boise Oskar Ågren (2019–2021) – Currently with GAIS Dylan Sullivan (2019–2022) – Currently with New York Red Bulls II Callum Johnson (2020–2021) – Currently with One Knoxville SC Hamady Diop (2020–2022) – Currently with Rhode Island FC Ousmane Sylla (2020–2023) – Currently with Orange County SC Joey Skinner (2022) – Currently with Charlotte Independence Shawn Smart (2022–2023) – Currently with Las Vegas Lights FC Pape Mar Boye (2023) – Currently with Phoenix Rising FC Joran Gerbet (2023–2024) – Currently with Orlando City SC Ransford Gyan (2024–2024) – Currently with New York City FC
Coaches Coaching staff Position Staff Athletic director Graham Neff Head coach Mike Noonan Associate head coach Philip Jones Assistant coach Camilo Rodriguez Assistant coach Gaye Diadie Director of Operations Rob Thompson
Seasons
Season Head coach Season results Tournament results Overall Conference Conference NCAA Wins Losses Ties Wins Losses Ties Finish 1934–35 Fred Kirchner 1 2 1 — — — — — — 1935 2 2 0 — — — — — — 1936 0 0 1 — — — — — — 1937 3 0 1 — — — — — — 1938 0 0 1 — — — — — — 1939 2 2 0 — — — — — — 1940–1966: No team 1967 I. M. Ibrahim 6 5 0 1 3 0 4th — — 1968 9 3 1 1 3 1 5th — — 1969 5 6 1 4 0 1 5th — — 1970 8 3 2 1 3 1 6th — — 1971 8 3 1 1 3 1 5th — — 1972* 13 1 1 5 0 0 Champion* — Round of 16 1973* 16 1 0 5 0 0 Champion* — Final Four 1974* 12 3 0 5 0 0 Champion* — Round of 16 1975* 13 2 0 5 0 0 Champion* — Round of 16 1976* 18 2 1 4 0 1 Champion* — Fourth Place 1977* 16 1 0 5 0 0 Champion* — Quarterfinal 1978* 18 1 1 4 0 1 Champion* — Third Place 1979* 16 2 1 5 0 0 Champion* — Runner-Up* 1980 12 3 2 4 1 1 2nd — — 1981* 18 2 0 5 1 0 Champion* — Round of 16 1982* 18 2 1 5 1 0 Champion* — Round of 16 1983 16 3 2 3 2 1 3rd — First round 1984 22 4 0 4 2 0 2nd — Champion 1985* 19 3 2 5 1 0 Champion* — Round of 16 1986 12 6 2 3 3 0 3rd — — 1987 18 5 1 1 4 1 5th First round Champion 1988 10 7 2 2 4 0 5th First round — 1989 13 6 1 1 4 1 5th First round — 1990 16 4 1 4 1 1 1st First round First round 1991 13 6 2 2 3 1 5th First Round First round 1992 12 6 4 1 3 2 6th Final — 1993 18 5 1 5 0 1 1st Final Round of 16 1994 13 7 1 1 4 1 6th Quarterfinal — 1995 Trevor Adair 16 6 1 4 2 0 3rd First round Round of 16 1996 10 7 2 2 3 1 5th First round — 1997 11 7 3 2 3 1 5th First round Quarterfinal 1998* 22 2 0 5 1 0 1st Champion* Quarterfinal 1999 9 8 2 2 2 2 4th First round — 2000 14 4 2 2 2 2 4th First round Round of 16 2001* 19 5 0 4 2 0 T-2nd Champion* Quarterfinal 2002 13 5 4 2 3 1 6th Quarterfinal Quarterfinal 2003 9 7 4 2 4 0 6th First round First round 2004 8 9 1 2 5 0 6th First round — 2005 15 6 3 2 4 2 7th Quarterfinal Final Four 2006 13 5 2 3 3 2 T-5th First round Round of 16 2007 7 11 1 2 6 0 7th First round — 2008 7 9 2 3 4 1 6th First round — 2009 Phil Hindson 6 12 1 2 6 0 9th Second round — 2010 Mike Noonan 5 8 4 2 4 2 7th Quarterfinal — 2011 8 8 2 4 4 0 7th Quarterfinal — 2012 6 9 5 3 2 3 5th Semifinal — 2013 11 7 3 5 4 2 T-4th Semifinal First round2014* 12 7 3 5 2 1 T-1st Atlantic Division Champion* Round of 16 2015 17 3 4 6 1 1 2nd Atlantic Division Semifinal Runner-Up* 2016 14 4 5 4 1 3 3rd Atlantic Division Runner-Up Quarterfinal 2017 12 6 1 4 4 0 3rd Atlantic Division Semifinal Second round 2018 7 9 1 2 6 0 6th Atlantic Division First round — 2019 18 2 2 6 1 1 1st Atlantic Division Runner-Up Quarterfinal 2020* 14 3 3 7 3 2 1st Atlantic Division Champion* Round of 16 2021 16 5 2 5 3 0 1st Atlantic Division Semifinal Champion 2022 13 7 1 3 4 1 4th Atlantic Division Runner-Up Second round 2023 15 3 5 4 2 2 2nd Atlantic Division Champion* Champion 2024 15 3 4 5 2 1 2nd Runner-Up Third Round 2025 8 6 3 4 2 2 T-4th First Round First Round
Titles
National NCAA Division I championships (4): 1984, 1987, 2021, 2023
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament (16): 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1998, 2001, 2014, 2020, 2023
References
Bibliography
External links