Clemson men's soccer advances to College Cup with Elite Eight win over Stanford

No. 9-seed Clemson men's soccer advanced to its 10th College Cup with a 2-0 Elite Eight win over 16-seed Stanford on Saturday at Historic Riggs Field.

The Tigers (13-3-5) took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute on a Gael Gibert header. It was the French defender's fourth goal of the season, and it came on an assist from fellow French player Joran Gorbet.

Clemson increased its lead in the 37th minute with a goal from forward Tyler Trimnal, his fifth of the year. Trimnal followed up a shot from midfielder Brandon Parrish that bounced off the Stanford keeper.

The Tigers controlled the match: Stanford (11-4-5) only took two shots on goal to Clemson's six. Clemson keeper Joseph Andema saved both, which came with less than 10 minutes to play.

Clemson will face No. 5-seed West Virginia (17-2-4) in the semifinal Dec. 8 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. The match time is to be determined.

Clemson is chasing its fourth national championship and second under coach Mike Noonan. Noonan has led the Tigers to four College Cup appearances, including the 2021 national title run.

Meanwhile, the Clemson women's season ended in the College Cup semifinals with a 2-0 loss to Florida State on Friday in Cary.

Clemson finished the season at 18-4-4 with the program’s first appearance in the College Cup and a school-record 13 shutouts.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson men's soccer beats Stanford to advance to NCAA semifinals