Cary, NC – The Washington Huskies magical season would come to an end in an unceremonious way, as the Clemson Tigers would beat them 2-0 behind Isaiah Reid’s early brace. The eighth seeded Tigers would get their two goals in the first 15 minutes, and their would be no other scoring action after that 15th minute. It is Clemson’s third national title in men’s soccer, and Washington loses in it’s first appearance in the biggest game.
Charlie Ostrem dribbles the ball down the field during the NCAA championship game against Clemson on Dec. 12, at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Getting off on the wrong foot
This game got underway quickly, as Washington goalkeeper Sam Fowler would whiff on a kick trying to clear the ball. This would leave an empty net for junior forward Isaiah Reid, who would put away the easy shot to give Clemson the lead just a minute into the game. The Tigers would keep the early pressure on, as in the 15th minute Ousmane Sylla would find Isaiah Reid. Reid’s header would zip into the top corner for the second goal, not even warranting a save attempt by the Husky goalkeeper Fowler. Two goals allowed to begin the game would start the game off on the wrong foot for the Huskies.
Offense gets going late, but cannot convert
The shots would start to mount as the game went on, but the Huskies were not able to match their season average of 16 shots per game. At the end of the game, Washington would only record nine shots, with a mere two of them being on goal. A team that had firepower all over the field failed to really make Clemson senior goalkeeper George Marks work, and it would hurt them. Outside of their two early goals, the Tigers were not able to get much offense going and their lead stayed at two. On the other side of things, Clemson only had four shots, two on goal. The Tigers were efficient with their shots, though, and the two goals on two shots on goal are all that they would need.
Ryan Sailor goes up for a header during the NCAA championship game against Clemson
A disappointing end to a great season
This past season for the Huskies was arguably their best yet, as they reached the national championship game for the first time in program history. Washington would finish the year with a 18 win, two loss, two draw record. The only real blemishes would be the loss to Oregon state, who would become the #1 seed in the tournament, and the loss in the national title game. Ending the year in the national championship game isn’t a bad thing by any means, but it would obviously have been better to end the season with a victory.
Kalani Kossa-Rienzi cries as he comes off the field after the NCAA championship game loss against Clemson
What will next year hold?
For Washington, there are some questions about next years group. As mentioned earlier, there were contributors all over the field this past season for the Huskies. The group of upperclassmen includes Ryan Sailor, Lucas Meek, Charlie Ostrem, Dylan Teves, Gio Miglietti, and Kendall Burks. All six of those players were huge parts of this teams success, and it will be interesting to see what they decide to do after the success achieved this season.
A big thank you to Emma Otttosen, who was shooting for The Daily, for the photos used in this article! Emma Ottosen/The Daily
