Tigers Fall in Thriller: No. 6/7 Clemson Suffers First Loss to No. 17 Duke, 12-11

Lindsey Marshall (32) of the Clemson Tigers with possession during a tightly contested game against Duke, where she scored five goals in a narrow 12-11 defeat. (Photo by Charles Mays/Tiger View Media)

For Military Appreciation Day, No. 6/7 Clemson Women’s Lacrosse welcomed No. 17 Duke. This marks the first time in program history that the Tigers are ranked in the top 10. Their offensive firepower and dominance in draw controls have led them to a 6-0 (2-0 ACC) start. Duke presents another challenging ACC opponent, currently on a two-game winning streak. Needless to say, the game was a battle.

The Clemson Tigers' offense came out firing. Natalie Shurtleff found the back of the net first at 12:20. Shortly after, Lindsey Marshall scored off back-to-back free position shots, leading to a Duke timeout. However, the real star for Clemson was Emily Lamphart, who was a brick wall. She shut out the Blue Devils, recording five saves through the first quarter. The Tigers' impenetrable defense allowed only seven shots, helping them take an early 4-0 lead.

Duke was finally able to get on the board thanks to Bella Goodwin. The Blue Devils continued to control much of the second quarter. Callie Hem and Carly Bernstein’s goals decreased their deficit. In the cage for Duke, Kennedy Everson made three more saves. The Tigers got sloppy with four turnovers. With a minute to go, Clemson’s Bridget Babcock thought she had scored a goal. Upon review, the goal was disallowed due to a dangerous propel, and Babcock was given a yellow card. Three seconds later, Summer Agostino was also issued a yellow card for slashing. Clemson was still ahead 6-4 but would have to start the second half on the penalty kill.

Just 24 seconds into the second half, Goodwin capitalized on the two-woman advantage to secure a hat trick on the day. Later, Duke defender Sydney Smith forced a turnover to put them on the attack. Hem scored, tying the game at six. At 5:29, Duke took its first lead of the game, 8-7. Clemson would not let this stand for long. Marshall scored two goals, one coming with two seconds left on the clock, to put the Tigers back on top 9-8.

Shurtleff secured her third goal of the game to continue building the Tigers' lead. Lamphart made clutch back-to-back saves off free position attempts from Duke. After being face-guarded for most of the game, Kayla MacLeod found space to draw a foul. From the free position attempt, she tallied her first goal. With under five minutes remaining, Paris Masaracchia was given a yellow card for cross-checking. Goodwin tied the game at 11-11 on the power play. Mattie Shearer scored to put the Blue Devils up with 35 seconds left. Duke won the draw control, preventing Clemson from having an opportunity to respond, handing the Tigers their first loss of the season.

The 12-11 defeat marks the end of Clemson’s six-game winning streak. Critical foul calls allowed Duke to fight back from a 4-0 deficit and secure the program’s first-ever win over the Tigers. Marshall led Clemson with five goals on seven shots. Kira Balis recorded five draw control wins. Babcock and Agostino picked up four and three ground balls, respectively. Clemson will take on Mercer next at home on Tuesday at 3 p.m.