Tigers Take Revenge on Duke, Advance to ACC Semifinals
- Charles Mays
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
The Clemson Tigers entered the ACC Tournament as the fifth seed, just behind Duke, who had defeated them earlier in the season at home. This time around, Clemson seized control early and never relinquished it, securing a decisive 15-7 victory.
After initially falling behind 1-0 with 12:16 remaining in the first quarter, Clemson's Bridget Babcock ignited the Tigers' offense with her first goal at the 8:47 mark. Brooke Goldstein quickly followed up just over a minute later, giving Clemson a 2-1 advantage. The Tigers didn't slow down, adding five consecutive goals to build a commanding 7-1 lead with 6:29 left in the second quarter.
During this scoring surge, Babcock secured a hat trick, Goldstein netted her second goal, and Natalie Shurtleff and Katie Castiello each contributed one. Duke responded with two quick goals late in the second quarter, but Clemson’s Lexi Edmonds answered back, scoring with just 19 seconds remaining, sending the Tigers into halftime with an 8-3 lead.
Momentum shifted momentarily in the third quarter, with Duke cutting into the Clemson lead. Carly Bernstein scored first after halftime at the 13:21 mark, followed by back-to-back goals from Callie Hem, tightening Clemson's lead to 8-6. This brief rally woke the Tigers up once more, sparking another scoring streak. Clemson responded with five unanswered goals, extending their advantage to 13-6. Lexi Edmonds, Bridget Babcock, Katie Castiello, and Natalie Shurtleff (two goals) powered this crucial run.
Duke's final goal came from Callie Hem with 10:33 remaining in the game, but the Tigers closed out strong, thanks to two late goals from Edmonds, sealing a convincing 15-7 victory.
Clemson's impressive scoring was led by Bridget Babcock and Lexi Edmonds, who each tallied four goals. Natalie Shurtleff added three, while Brooke Goldstein and Katie Castiello contributed two goals each. Emily Lamparter stood strong in goal, finishing with an impressive 61 percent save rate, making 11 saves on 18 shots.
The Tigers now turn their focus to the ACC Semifinals, where they will face top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday at 5 PM EDT, broadcast on ACCN. The teams last met on March 15th in Chapel Hill, with Clemson falling 18-5. UNC's Chloe Humphrey dominated that contest, scoring six goals to lead the Tar Heels.
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