Thursday April 3, 2008
CLEMSON, SC—The Silverbacks topped a youthful Tiger squad 3-2 Wednesday at Clemson's Historic Riggs Field in a scrimmage that was very much a tale of two halves. Jason McLaughlin and Nathan Knox netted first half goals, and Ansu Toure tallied in the second.

“Things are coming along,” said head coach Jason Smith, who ran his regulars the first 45 minutes. “The first half was very encouraging.”

The game was also a homecoming for 'Back defender Justin Moore, who played for Clemson from 2002-2005, and trialist Tate Parrish, who played for the Tigers last season and is still taking classes.

“It's always nice to come back to Riggs,” said Moore, who returned to training Monday after missing more than a week due to soreness from off-season sports hernia surgery.

From the opening whistle, the Silverback regulars (Ryan McIntosh, Justin Moore, Matt Bobo, Zach Kirby, David Hayes, Jason McLaughlin, Tony McManus, Rodrigo Rios, Ansu Toure, Mac Kandji, and Nathan Knox) assumed control of the match, setting the tempo and mounting increasing pressure in Clemson's defensive third.

Rios nearly put the Silverbacks in the lead 19 minutes taking a ball from the left flank, combining with Knox and beating two defenders before being denied by former Cobb FC standout Joseph Bendik. The  U.S. youth international made several key stops in the opening minutes of the game to keep the Silverbacks off the score sheet.

The Tiger's best chance of the half came in the 25th minute as a result of a Bobo foul 20 yards from goal, but were unable to materialize a shot on goal from the opportunity.

Playing up top alongside Knox, Kandji's skill on the ball and pace gave the Tigers repeated trouble. In the 30th minute Kandji found himself a step behind the last Clemson defender with only Bendik to beat but was wrangled in from behind earning the Silverbacks free kick 25 yards from goal and the defender a caution.

Three minutes later McLaughlin put the Silverbacks in the lead slamming home a perfectly weighted through ball from Knox inside the penalty area. McManus began the play just inside of midfield, finding Knox, who fended off the challenges of two defenders before playing the ball off to the streaking McLaughlin.

Continued pressure led to several close chances but it took until stoppage time before the Silverbacks doubled their lead. Kandji forced a turnover deep and McManus collected the ball, finding Knox with a deftly weighted through-ball. Knox beat one defender off the dribble and slotted the ball to the far post.

“We should have had at least one or two more goals in the first half,” Smith said. “Finishing is not something we have concentrated on a lot yet, but we will more as the season gets closer and our conditioning gets to the level it needs to be.”

Defensively, the Silverback regulars were not tested in the opening half. McIntosh's only action was three back-passes, none of which were pressured, and newly acquited Zach Kirby continued to play well in central defense alongside Bobo.

"Kirby looks more comfortable in the back every day,” Smith said.

The second half saw considerable lineup changes by Smith. A mix of regulars and reserves started the second half with little consequince as the Silverbacks continued to dictate the run of play. However, the Silverbacks finishing woes continued—twice Kandji found himself in behind the Clemson back line but could not convert. In the 68th minute Toure masterfully dribbled past four Tiger players before slamming his shot into the side netting from a tight angle. He made up for it two minutes later, collecting a ball from Hayes and beating a defender before slotting the ball inside the far post from eight yards out.

A flood of substitutions in the final 30 minutes of the scrimmage disrupted the rhythm of the match which led to frantic end-to-end play. With 15 minutes remaining Clemson got on the board, stringing a series of passes together culminating on a well-placed ball to substitute goalkeeper Felipe Quintero's far post. Seven minutes later a defensive give-away deep in the Silverbacks' defensive third allowed the Tiger's to go forward with a numerical advantage, which they took full advantage of, finishing from close range.

“With all of the guys we changed in the second half, it was, I think, too much of a change and killed the continuity we had going on in the first half,” Smith said. “We lost control of the game when it started going end-to-end.”

The Silverbacks continue preseason training, going once on Thursday, and will resume two-a-day sessions on Friday. The Silverbacks kick off the 2008 season Saturday April 19 hosting the Carolina RailHawks.

Injury Report
Mike Ambersley (knee)—Out two to four weeks