No. 16 Clemson Falls to South Carolina, 3-2, in Palmetto Series

No. 16 Clemson suffered its first loss of the season Friday night, falling 3-2 to South Carolina in front of a record crowd at Stone Stadium in Columbia.

The Tigers (2-1) entered the rivalry matchup after opening the season with wins over Furman and ETSU, but a quick two-goal burst from the Gamecocks put Clemson in an early hole.

South Carolina scored twice in a span of just 75 seconds during the 23rd and 24th minutes to take a 2-0 lead.

Clemson responded before halftime.

Xander Sevian drew a foul in the box following a VAR review, and Ransford Gyan converted the ensuing penalty kick in the 39th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1.

South Carolina pushed the advantage back to two goals with a penalty kick in the 49th minute, but Clemson answered again just three minutes later. Cooper Hineline scored off an assist from Duncan Wilson to make it 3-2 with plenty of time remaining.

The Tigers continued to apply pressure but couldn't find an equalizer.

Clemson finished with an 18-13 advantage in shots, including eight attempts over the final 30 minutes, and held an 11-2 edge in corner kicks. The Tigers put six shots on goal.

The loss came one year after Clemson defeated South Carolina 4-1 at Historic Riggs Field. The Tigers still hold a 35-18-2 advantage in the all-time series.

Friday's matchup drew 7,671 fans to Stone Stadium, which South Carolina announced as the largest home crowd in its men's soccer program history.

Clemson now heads to Orlando to face UCF on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+. The Tigers begin ACC play three days later at Syracuse.