No. 15 Clemson Lacrosse bounces back vs. Louisville

Clemson's Lindsey Marshall in competition against the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday, March 23, 2025, in Clemson, SC. (Photo By Charles Mays/Tiger View Media)

No. 15 Clemson Lacrosse hosted Louisville with hopes of reestablishing its momentum. After a scorching 6-0 start, the Tigers are now on the longest losing streak in program history, dropping the past four games. These losses have come while facing three teams ranked in the top 20. Today's ACC matchup provided a perfect opportunity for Clemson to get back on track. 

Starting goalkeeper for Louisville, J Pleck started strong, making saves off Clemson's key contributors' shots. On the other end, Emily Lamparter responded by denying a free position shot from Atkins. Finally, Louisville had a sloppy clear attempt picked up by Lindsey Marshall, who moved the ball quickly up the field to Lexi Edmonds for the Tigers' first goal of the game. At 5:19, Marshall beat her defender and sent one into the top corner, marking the 150th goal of her career. Clemson continued to find offensive opportunities, getting off 11 shots but lacked execution. Izzy Seikel would get the Cardinals on the board. After 15 minutes, the Tigers were up 3-1.

From the 8-meter arc, Natalie Shurtleff added two goals to Clemson’s lead. Marshall had four goals off 6 shots in the first half. Louisville was held scoreless. Clemson’s stars were coming back to life. The Tigers would go into the half up 7-1. 

Goldstein quickly got her sixth goal of the season coming out of the break. However, with Louisville dominating time of possession and Pleck continuing to impress, the Tigers' offense hit a lull. Lauren Figas broke the Cardinals' scoring drought to make the score 8-2. From another free position opportunity, Lamparter made a sliding save, sending the ball away via her knee. To close the third, Goldstein and Marshall each tallied another goal. 

The Tigers' zone defense thrived in limiting Louisville’s offensive opportunities. Clemson’s sticks clogged passing lanes protecting the cage, allowing only two goals. Lamparter collected nine saves with an 81.8% save rate. The defensive unit had 20 forced turnovers. Maggie Jordan led the team with 4. In the center circle, the draw unit won 12-6, led by Kira Balis with 8.

With a final score of 13-2, Clemson would finally get another mark in the win column. The team bounced back to move their record to (7-4, 2-2 ACC). Marshall had an incredible day, finishing with 6 goals, tying her career-high. With confidence rebuilding, Clemson takes on the University of Albany next on Wednesday.