CLEMSON, S.C. – USC Upstate men's soccer dropped an ACC contest 5-0 to No. 6 Clemson Sunday night on the road. The Spartans are off to an 0-2 start to the year while the Tigers improve to 2-0.
Felipe Marty put some early defensive pressure on Clemson to shut down a scoring chance in the first minute, forcing a Tiger shot wide left, and starting goalkeeper Luca Bulfon made a diving stop on a Clemson free kick in the third minute. Marty had another crucial defensive stop in the 10th minute when he stripped the Clemson attacker driving hard to the box with a solid tackle from behind.
Clemson struck first in the 13th minute when Mohamed Seye headed in a cross from the right side of the box. Bulfon got a piece of the ball with his lower body, but unfortunately not enough to stop it.
Filippo Censini had Upstate's first real chance in the match with a hard strike in the 15th minute from outside the top of the box, but the Clemson keeper tipped it just above the cross bar. The Tigers doubled their lead in the 18th minute when, after Bulfon came out to make an initial save, Oskar Agren put the deflection behind the Spartan backline and into the net.
Jeremy Montero entered the match in the 25th minute and less than a minute later fired a shot low on goal, but it was scooped up by the Clemson keeper. Shortly after, another Clemson header made it 3-0 in the 38th minute.
Xavi Wences and Alvaro Martin both registered their first collegiate shots within 30 seconds of each other in the 44th minute. Both shots were on goal, and Wences would get two more shots off in the final minute of the first half.
The start of the second half saw a new sense of urgency from the Spartans, and overall, the half saw a chippy and fast-paced opening from both teams. Clemson got three quick shots off in the opening minutes, two of which were deflected away while one was saved by Bulfon.
Clemson grew its lead to 4-0 in the 71st minute when Isaiah Reed caught a chip pass in the box and got behind Bulfon to put it in the net. Alvaro Gomez buried one to the deep right corner to make it 5-0 in the 78th minute.
The Spartans totaled seven shots and four corner kicks in the first half, but were held without a shot or corner kick in the second half. Meanwhile, Upstate collected 18 fouls and four yellow cards on the night compared to 12 and one, respectively, for the Tigers.
In his first start since the 2019 season, goalkeeper Luca Bulfon made four saves, two in each half, against the Tigers.
UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans make their home fall debut next Saturday, Sept. 4, when they host Georgia State at Country University Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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