CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL: No. 14/12 Clemson vs. No. 16/15 Navy

Clemson Lacrosse Takes on Navy in First NCAA Tournament Appearance

• 🆚 Opponent: No. 16/15 Navy Midshipmen
• 🗓 Date/Time: Friday, May 9th | 5 p.m.
• 📍 Venue: Chapel Hill, N.C. | Dorrance Field
• 📺 Watch: ESPN+
• 📊 Stats: Live Stats
• 📱 Instagram | X | Facebook

Roster | Schedule | Game Notes (PDF) | Tickets | NCAA Bracket

CLEMSON, S.C. – In the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Clemson Tigers (13-6) are set to take on the Navy Midshipmen (15-5) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, May 9th at 5 p.m. at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. This will be the first-ever contest between the two programs.

LAST TIME OUT

The Tigers had a successful stint in the ACC Tournament. Paired up against the fourth-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the quarterfinals, the fifth-seeded Tigers used a second-half burst to pull away for the 15-7 victory. The win over Duke marked the second top-10 win of the year for the Tigers, and it set a record for wins in a single season with 13. In the game, Clemson scored on eight of its 11 shots on goal in the first half and the Tiger attack put 20 of its 26 shots on goal for the game, scoring on 15. Graduate transfers Bridget Babcock and Lexi Edmonds led the way with four goals apiece, with All-ACC First Team selectee Natalie Shurtleff notching a hat trick. Freshman Brooke Goldstein totaled six points off a pair of goals and four assists and Katie Castiello secured 100 career goals thanks to a pair of goals while adding an assist.

Defensively, the Tigers entered the game ranked fifth nationally with 12.06 caused turnovers per game – the Purple and Regalia forced nine in the first half and 14 in the game. Paris Masaracchia put up an impressive five ground ball, three caused turnover effort and was one of four Tigers with multiple caused turnovers, alongside Blair Byrne, All-ACC Second Team honoree Summer Agostino and Babcock. Along with their multiple caused turnovers, Masaracchia, Babcock and Agostino all had multiple ground balls during the contest as well. All-ACC Second Team member Emily Lamparter had four ground balls and 11 saves on the afternoon, good for a 61.1% save rate and notched her 400th career save in the process off a clutch free position save to change the momentum of the game.

In the semifinals, Clemson lost against the one-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, 7-17. Clemson scored five of their seven goals in the second half. Shurtleff tied a game-high three goals, her career-high and season-high as well, while Masaracchia’s six ground balls were triple the next highest and four caused turnovers were double.

STAND OUT TIGERS

All-ACC Third Team member Lindsey Marshall has shown herself to be a true offensive force this season. The Towson transfer broke Gianna New’s record of 64 for the most points in a single-season in Clemson history, and her first goal against Pittsburgh also allowed her to exceed Hanna Hilcoff, who had 51 goals in 2023, for the most goals in a single-season in Clemson history. Marshall’s 55 goals this season ranked in the top-five in the ACC while her 67 points is in the top-10 for the ACC.

Shurtleff, one of the Tigers’ two ACC All-Tournament selections, has had a spectacular sophomore campaign in the midfield. Her 35 goals and 55 points are fourth on the team, while her 20 assists are second. She is one of three players on the team with at least 20 ground balls, 30 draw controls and 10 caused turnovers and the only one to do so with over 15 goals.

Newcomers Edmonds, a graduate transfer from Penn, and Goldstein, a freshman, have also carved roles for themselves in the high-powered Clemson offense. Edmonds is one of five Tigers with at least 50 points on the year with 38 goals and 12 assists to her name, while Goldstein has done so in a more supportive role with 17 goals and a Clemson single-season record of 40 assists. The freshman is ranked fifth in total assists and sixth in assists per game in the ACC and is the second-ranked freshman nationally in each. She also has the most points by a freshman in the ACC and is sixth in the nation by the same metric. The freshman’s six points against Duke were enough to break the freshman points record set initially by Sofia Chepenik in 2023 with 53; Goldstein has 57 so far this season.

Agostino leads Clemson with the best defensive season by a Tiger to date. The senior has broken single-season records for the caused turnovers with 53 this season and ground balls with 50. Both marks lead the ACC and are top-seven nationally. Agostino is one of two players in a Power Four conference with over 50 caused turnovers and over 50 ground balls. Graduate transfers Babcock and Maggie Jordan have greatly added to the defense and draw unit. Jordan has recorded 26 ground balls, 45 draw controls and 22 caused turnovers, while Babcock has notched 40 ground balls, the second-most in a single season in Clemson history, with 30 draws and 22 caused turnovers. Masaracchia, the other of Clemson’s ACC All-Tournament selections, is one of two players with at least 25 caused turnovers and has also picked up 33 ground balls, the third-most on the team.

In the cage, Lamparter is having the best season of her illustrious career. The goalie has added six games with a save percentage over 60% to push her career total to 13. She has dropped her goals-against average to the lowest point of her career, 9.27 and has pushed her save percentage to the highest-point of her career, 47.3%, ranked third and fourth in the ACC, respectively, and both are top-20 nationally.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Shurtleff is three points away from 100 in her career. She also needs three more goals to hit 60 in her career, the third player to do so. R. Byrne is two goals away from the same milestone.
• Marshall needs four goals to become the first Clemson Lacrosse player to hit 60 goals in a single-season and two more points to become the first Tiger to record 70 points in a season.
• Balis needs three more draw controls to become the first Clemson player to notch 140 draw controls in a season.
• With two more saves, Lamparter will record 140 saves in a season for the second time in her career.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

Navy is in its first NCAA Tournament since 2019. Alyssa Chung leads Navy lacrosse on offense with 65 goals and 79 points for the Midshipmen this season. Emily Messinese, Mikayla Williams and Emma Kennedy all follow with at least 40 goals and 50 points, with Messinese’s 26 assists being a team-high. Taylor Miles is the next closest in assists with 18. Felicia Giglio leads the Midshipmen with 44 ground balls alongside Ava Yovino, who has recorded 36, marking them as the only players with at least 30 ground balls. Jaclyn Johns has a team-leading 20 caused turnovers, with Maggie DeFabio, Giglio and Yovino recording at least 15. Alyssa Daley leads the draw unit with 232 draw controls and Messinese has 51. In the cage, Felicia Giglio has notched a 41.1% save rate with 10.18 goals given up on average on 433 shots faced. Navy Lacrosse is helmed by head coach Cindy Timchal alongside associate head coaches Gabby Capuzzi Solomon and Brooke Shriver and assistant coach Taylor Pinzone.

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