Clemson United should be a Tournament team despite patchy resume

Picture from The Tiger's Asst. Sports Editor Toby Corriston

On Nov. 5, Clemson United suffered a massive loss to Pitt at home to begin, and simultaneously end, its ACC tournament run. The Tigers gave up an early goal and could not net any of their 20 shots, silencing a Clemson crowd that yearned for more.

For a team once ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and the fourth seed in the ACC, a massive upset like this was a testament to a very rocky season for the Tigers. The question now remains whether Clemson United has a resume strong enough to be considered for one of the 26 at-large selections for the big dance.

The Tigers finished their regular season 8-5-3, 4-2-2 ACC, with a strong 7-3-1 stand at Historic Riggs Field. The squad stood strong behind sophomore midfielder Ransford Gyan, who led the team with 24 points and earned himself a midseason Hermann Trophy Watch List nod. Other storied Tigers of the 2025 campaign include Nathan Richmond, who followed Gyan with 19 points and earned an ACC Offensive Player of the Week title in late September, and Kwaku Agyabeng, named ACC Defensive Player of the Week in the middle of October.

Despite the surprising loss to Pitt, Clemson is ranked No. 28 in the NCAA Men’s Soccer RPI poll. The Tigers are the 6th best ACC team in these rankings, following No. 2 Virginia, No. 10 Stanford, No. 11 SMU, No. 12 NC State and No. 27 North Carolina. Duke and Syracuse follow Clemson in the poll, placing No. 30 and No. 31, respectively.

The RPI rankings prove that the ACC is a powerhouse in men’s soccer this year. With eight top-35 RPI teams, fans can expect the men’s tournament to be filled with ACC representatives from at-large bids. No. 44 Notre Dame, No. 45 Virginia Tech and No. 46 Wake Forest may also find a way in, depending on their performances in the remainder of the ACC tournament.

The ACC has run NCAA soccer this fall. That being said, off rankings and numbers alone, Clemson has what it needs to sneak into the tournament with an at-large bid. If the Tigers find themselves on the brink, the deciding factor may be the committee’s evaluation of the Tigers’ key games this year.

The most glaring scuff marks on Clemson’s season are its five losses. When facing the RPI’s best — away matches against No. 2 Virginia and No. 13 NC State — Clemson could not deliver. An early loss to No. 41 VCU at Historic Riggs in September does not bolster the resume either. Neither will a loss to No. 161 Queens, who stormed into Tigertown and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the country.

Now, just how good are the Tigers’ eight wins this season? Their largest win resides in a three-goal victory over No. 30 Duke at home. Besides that, there is not a lot for Mike Noonan’s boys to brag about. Interconference wins over Cal and Wake Forest are notable, but other results came against teams outside of the top 60 in victories against South Carolina, UAB, Elon and UNCW.

Can Clemson United’s 2025 campaign be summarized as a team that beat bad teams, but couldn’t make it count against the big guns?

The three ties in the Tigers’ record might just be the most important — and overlooked — aspect of their resume. Clemson held its own and leveled itself against two huge names: No. 9 Indiana and No. 11 SMU.

The other was a thrilling 3-3 match with the No. 45-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. Against such dazzling opponents, these results might just be the Tigers’ get-out-of-jail card. To some eyes, an indecisive draw can muddle a narrative further, as you can only make so much out of a tie. Yet, it’s much better than two more losses to top-ranked teams.

Clemson United will certainly earn an at-large bid for the 2025 NCAA men’s soccer tournament. The real question lies in whether this squad has what it takes to earn the school yet another trophy, or if Tigers fans can expect a deep run at all.

A weaker showing against top-ranked schools and fewer eye-opening victories may deny Clemson a second-round bye, a privilege it has been granted in previous years.

The full 48-team bracket for the NCAA Tournament, including the 26 at-large bids, will be announced Nov. 17.

STORY ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CLEMSON UNIVERISTY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER, THE TIGER.