Richmond’s Late Strike Lifts No. 3 Clemson Past No. 10 Pittsburgh in 3-2 Thriller
The No.3-ranked Clemson Tigers faced off against the No.10-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers, coming off a 6-0 win over the UAB Blazers. Goals from Arnau Vilamitjana in the 6’ and Ransford Gyan in the 22’ and 37’ gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead at halftime. Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the second half with an equalizer from Grayson Carter in the 63’, but Clemson found a late winner in the 81’ off the boot of Nathan Richmond to snatch a 3-2 win. Clemson improves to 3-0-1 on the season, while Pittsburgh falls to 2-2-0.
Quick Strike From Pittsburgh
The Panthers wasted no time getting on the board, as they scored with their first chance of the game. Pittsburgh took advantage of their early corner kick, as a dangerous ball into the penalty area found the head of Arnau Vilamitjana. The graduate student’s header hit the hands of Clemson’s goalkeeper, Joseph Andema, but he was unable to keep it out of the back of the net, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead in the 6’.
Big Chance Missed for Clemson
Clemson had a big chance of their own shortly after Pittsburgh’s goal, as Wahabu Musah was brought down in the box by Pittsburgh’s goal scorer, Arnau Vilamitjana, leading to a penalty for the Tigers. Clemson’s star player, Ransford Gyan stepped up to take the penalty, but was unable to convert. Pittsburgh’s keeper, Jack Moxom, parried aside Gyan’s attempt to keep the Panthers infront by a goal.
Ransford Equalizes
Clemson’s star sophomore quickly made up for his missed penalty, as he was able to knot the score up at one apiece. A mistake from the Panthers in their own third gave Ransford Gyan the ball at the edge of the penalty area with only one man to beat. With almost no room to get off a shot, Gyan found a way to create some space and bury his shot in between the legs of Jack Moxom to equalize the score in the 22’.
Clemson Takes the Lead Before Halftime
After conceding a quick goal in the sixth minute, Clemson completely turned the game on it’s head with two goals before the half. Once again, Ransford Gyan was at the heart of Clemson’s goal. A beautiful looping ball over the top of Pittsburgh’s defense from Remi Okunlola left Gyan one-on-one with Jack Moxom. Clemson’s sophomore dribbled right past the keeper and tapped in his close range shot with no one home to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
Pittsburgh Ties It Up
The Panthers found a breakthrough in the second half to tie the score up at two apiece. After a fairly back-and-forth first 15 minutes of play in the second period, Pittsburgh’s attack made a strong move towards the edge of the area. Lasse Dahl and Grayson Carter teamed up for a great two-man goal, as Carter buried the one-timer past Joseph Andema and into the bottom left of the goal in the 63’. Carter’s goal was not only his first of his collegiate career, but his first shot of his young career.
Clemson Takes the Lead Back
The Tigers were searching for their third goal of the game after Pittsburgh’s second half equalizer, and they found it off the boot of Nathan Richmond. The Senior who missed almost all of last season, got a brilliant ball from Ransford Gyan and fired it past Pittsburgh’s goalkeeper to give Clemson a late lead in the 81’. Richmond’s fourth goal in as many games played was enough for Clemson to snatch a huge win over the No.10-ranked Panthers.
Takeaways
- Ransford Gyan continues to be one of the best players in the country. After this game, Gyan now has six goals on the season in just four games played, more than last season’s total of five in 22 games played. Both of Gyan’s goals in tonight’s game were absolute class; his dribble around the keeper and his tight finish between the keeper’s leg will be two of his better goals on the season when it’s all said and done.
- This is a huge win for Clemson. After blowing a two-goal lead in the second half against Indiana, Clemson needed to hang onto this one after blowing yet another second half lead. With No.1 Stanford losing earlier today against Louisville, 1-0, this opens up a spot for Clemson to jump the Cardinal and potentially No.2-ranked Marshall to be the No.1 team in the country in the next Coaches Poll.
Up Next
Clemson United will take on the VCU Rams at 6:00 PM, on Tuesday, September 9, at Historic Riggs Field.
Stay tuned and updated with Tiger View Media, as we bring you news, recaps, and stories for Clemson Men’s Soccer this season.
