Oregon State Men’s Soccer falls to Clemson Tigers, eliminated from NCAA tournament

Oregon+State+junior+midfielder+Sofiane+Djeffal+%2810%29+and+redshirt-senior+midfielder+Tyrone+Mondi+fighting+for+the+ball+at+Paul+Lorenz+Field+in+Corvallis+on+Dec.+4.+The+Beavers+would+fall+to+the+Clemson+Tigers+by+a+score+of+4-3+in+a+penalty+shootout%2C+eliminating+the+Beavers+from+the+NCAA+tournament.+

Kayla Jones

Oregon State junior midfielder Sofiane Djeffal (10) and redshirt-senior midfielder Tyrone Mondi fighting for the ball at Paul Lorenz Field in Corvallis on Dec. 4. The Beavers would fall to the Clemson Tigers by a score of 4-3 in a penalty shootout, eliminating the Beavers from the NCAA tournament.

The No.1 seed Oregon State men’s soccer team fell to the No.8 Clemson Tigers 4-3 in a penalty shootout at Paul Lorenz Field in Corvallis on Saturday night

This loss brought an end to one of the best seasons in program history.

Oregon State (14-2-3) appeared in its first Elite Eight appearance after eliminating the No. 16 seed New Hampshire from the NCAA tournament, 1-0, on Nov. 28. Mouhameth Thiam scored the sole goal of the match, allowing the Beavers to continue on their best season in program history.

Clemson (15-5-0) entered its third Elite Eight appearance in five years after a 2-1 win vs. Kentucky, after a goal at the 89th minute by Alvaro Gomez to give them the go ahead goal to advance to face vs Oregon State.

The matchup between the two clubs was the first in the two progran’s history, and had a record crowd attendance of 1,415.

Oregon State kicked off a very eventful first half with the first corner kick taking place at the 1st minute, with a shot by junior defender Gael Gibert as the result of it. The shot would be off target.

The shooting for the Beavers continued with two more opportunities coming within the next seven minutes. The shot by Oregon State’s Javier Armas was top center of the net saved by Clemson’s George Marks. The second shot to the bottom right of the net by Gibert was saved by Marks.

The Tigers first shot of the match came at the 16th minute by senior defender Justin Malou. The shot was also off target.

After various chances to push the lead to 1-0, the Beavers were finally able to capitalize at the 30th minute by a shot that connected with the bottom right of the goal by junior midfielder Sofiane Djeffal, assisted by redshirt-senior forward Tsiki Ntsabeleng.

The half came to an end after a series of fouls, shot attempts, and corner kicks by both clubs.

The Oregon State Beavers ended the half with nine shots, six corner kicks, and two yellow cards. For Clemson, they had five shots, three corners, and two yellow cards.

Both clubs entered the second half with high energy, and played to win. The second half of the match was just as eventful and had various controversial calls for both teams.

The shooting continued for both teams but nothing connected until a call by the refs sent Clemson’s senior midfielder Luiz Felipe Fernandez-Salvador to the penalty spot. The kick by Fernandez met the bottom left of the net to push the score to 1-1. The penalty came at the 85th minute.

Both clubs entered extra time and were given two extra 10 minute periods, with golden goal rules. However, neither team was able to pull ahead pushing the final result to a penalty shootout.

Oregon State’s Djeffal got the first chance at a penalty and nailed the shot at the bottom right of the net with Marks at the goalie. Clemson’s Hamady Diop evened the penalty with a make of his own at the bottom right at the net with junior goalkeeper Adrian Fernandez at the goal.

Oregon State got another attempt at the penalty with Armas getting the shot to go up 2-1. The shot by Armas was blocked by Marks. Malou for Clemson now had the shot to push ahead of the Beavers and would capitalize with a shot to the bottom right of Fernandez.

The Beavers third shot was awarded to Gilbert and he punched the shot to the bottom right of the net to even out the penalty shootout. For Clemson, Oskar Gren, a shot to the bottom right barely escapes Fernandez, barely going in for the Tigers, going up 3-2.

Oregon State had to make the two next shots, as well as block one of the next two shots by the Tigers, a job easier said than done. Beaver’s freshmen defender Nicklas Lund gott them closer to that with a shot that met the top left of the net.

Isaiah Reid, Clemson’s Junior forward put the pressure on the Beavs with a shot that connected with the bottom left of the net, the shot was met with a gasp by the Corvallis fans.

To win, the Tigers needed a miss by the Beavers or another penalty shot to go in. Oregon State’s Ntsabeleng was given the last opportunity for the Beavers. The shot was blocked by Marks, and sent the Tigers to another Final Four appearance and ended the Beavers historic season.

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