Washington's Season Comes To An End In National Championship

Sunday, December 12

Cary, NC

11:00 AM

University of Washington

18-3-2, 6-2-2

Washington vs. Clemson (National Championship)

16-5-2, 5-3-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Clemson	2	0	2
Washington	0	0	0

The University of Washington men’s soccer team plays Clemson University in the College Cup-NCAA national championship final

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

Washington's Season Comes To An End In National Championship

December 12, 2021 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

CARY, N.C. -- The historic 2021 season for the Washington men's soccer team came to an end on Sunday afternoon when the Huskies fell in the National Championship game to Clemson by a score of 2-0.

Washington finished the year 18-2-2 and reached the College Cup for the first time in program history. However, they fell just one game short of their ultimate goal.

"We did a lot of things right, we just needed one little crack," head coach Jamie Clark said of the match. "Credit to Clemson's defense because they hung in there tight and they did just enough to withstand a lot of pressure in that second half."

After defeating Georgetown 2-1 on Friday night, the Huskies had a quick turnaround to take on the Tigers, who advanced by beating Notre Dame in a PK shootout on Friday evening.

It was not a dream start for UW, as the Huskies found themselves in a hole before a full minute had ticked off the clock. After the Tigers put in a long ball, a mistake in the back led to an open net for Isaiah Reid, who slotted it home to put his side up 1-0.

Just 14 minutes later, Reid would put the ball in the back of the net again. He was left with space in the box and put home a lofted header to put Clemson up 2-0.

While the UW defense would settle in, the offense had to work for any and all opportunities. Lucas Meek finally got off the first shot of the match in the 28th minute, putting a ball on frame in the lower-left corner of the net, but the Clemson goalkeeper was up to the task.

The Huskies kept pushing, but were unable to get a goal back before the first half ended.

Needing some inspiration in the second half, UW became the aggressors, owning possession and trying to create chances. Despite the persistent attacks, the Huskies were unable to create anything dangerous enough to force a save by the Tigers. It would take until the 88th minute, when Dylan Teves put a shot on frame, for Clemson to make its second and final save of the match.

At the end of the day, Washington worked for it, but could not create enough quality chances to get back into the game. The 2-0 scoreline would hold and Clemson won its third National Championship in program history.

Despite the loss, this year's Washington men's soccer team will go down in history as the best of all-time. The 2021 Huskies made the College Cup for the first time in program history, set a record for the best start to a season in program history, tied a program record for the most wins in a season, had two First Team All-America selections for the first time ever, broke the Husky Soccer Stadium attendance record and inspired a community.

"More important (than anything) is how proud I am of these guys and the season they had," head coach Jamie Clark said. "They've been unbelievable, they've been a pleasure to coach. They've been great role models for the Seattle soccer community and they made history. We've got a lot of proud people who are alums, who are friends of the program and part of the school. They made history and I couldn't be happier."