Hendrik Hilpert thought about one game more than the rest as he strained through his offseason workout. Oct. 21 — the contest’s date — burrowed in his mind as a constant reminder: Syracuse has to beat Clemson this year.

Over the past three years, the Tigers have been the victors in some of Hilpert’s toughest defeats. Two seasons ago, in the Orange’s first College Cup appearance, Hilpert failed to save four-consecutive penalty kicks. He lay on his back as Clemson celebrated its national title berth. In 2016, CU bested Hilpert in a shootout in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

“There’s personal history there,” Hilpert said. “I could not be more motivated.”

This Saturday, Syracuse (6-7-2, 0-5-1 Atlantic Coast) will square off against No. 7 Clemson (10-3, 3-3) in its last regular season game at SU Soccer Stadium. Prior to SU joining the ACC in 2013, SU and Clemson had never played. In seven meetings since, the contests have been close with only one game being decided by more than one goal. SU hasn’t defeated the Tigers at home in four years, but leads the all-time series 3-2-2.

“They won’t look past us,” McIntyre said. “They won’t look at the 12th ACC team. They will see Syracuse and what we can be on our best night.”

Syracuse enters the game after one of its worst stretches in recent history, going 2-7 in its last nine games. Clemson posted a 7-2 record during that stretch. A loss would lock SU’s first losing season since 2011, McIntyre’s second year with the team.

Clemson’s strength lies in its offense. The Tigers are the sixth-best scoring team in the country with 2.5 goals per game, and have scored at least three goals seven different times. Syracuse has only scored three goals twice this season.

Tiger forwards have tallied 17 goals this season with senior Diego Campos leading the unit with 22 points (seven goals, eight assists). His last game he finished with a hat trick against then-No. 16 Duke on Oct. 13.

“Whenever we get a chance to compete against a team coached by Ian McIntyre,” Clemson head coach Mike Noonan said, “we know they’re going to be prepared.”

Defense has been Syracuse’s weakness for much of the season. The Orange have recorded only one shutout and ranks 126th in scoring defense, conceding 1.37 goals per game. To stop the Tiger attack, SU will rely on Hilpert along with defender Kamal Miller, who was “unavailable” in SU’s 2-1 overtime loss against Boston College on Oct. 13. Miller returned to the starting lineup against Ohio State five days later in a 2-1 win.

To win, the Orange will have to defend its home field, something it hasn’t done since defeating Oregon State, 3-2, on Sept. 12. Since that victory, SU has dropped out of the United Soccer Coaches rankings while Clemson has remained firmly in the top-15.

The usual battle of heavyweights has a different feel this Saturday. The Orange, still looking for its first conference win, is an underdog in a season where the offense has struggled to finish in the final third and defense often committing individual mistakes.

“Being in this state,” Hilpert said. “Every single game is an opportunity. We have nothing to lose right now.”

Published on October 20, 2017 at 1:27 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez