No. 16/15 Navy
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 16/16 and fifth-seeded Clemson Tigers (13-5, 6-3) are set to take on the No. 1/1 and one-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (16-0, 9-0 ACC) in the ACC Tournament Semifinals on Friday, April 25th at 5 p.m. at the American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. This will be the second meeting between the two programs this season, the fifth all-time.
LAST TIME OUT
In the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals, the Tigers pummeled the Duke Blue Devils, 15-7, to avenge the heartbreaking regular season loss earlier in the year. The Clemson offense was efficient throughout as the Tigers 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 also adding an assist.
Clemson’s defense was stout throughout the contest. The Tigers entered the game ranked fifth nationally with 12.06 caused turnovers per game – Clemson 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.
STAND OUT TIGERS
All-ACC Third Team member Lindsey Marshall has shown herself to be a true offensive force this season. The Towson transfer has broken 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 is in the top-15 in Division I this season with her being in the top-five in the ACC while her 67 points is in the top-10 for the ACC.
All-ACC Second Team Kayla MacLeod and Shurtleff have also shown themselves to be offensive threats this season. Both sophomores have broken past Hilcoff’s career record of 85 points and have both recorded at least 45 points this season. MacLeod has been able to do so off 47 goals and 10 assists with Shurtleff having 32 goals and 17 assists, each having pushed past their freshman goal and point totals and sit at 90 and 91 points in their careers, respectively.
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 40 points on the year with 36 goals and 12 assists to her name, while Goldstein, one of three players with 50 points this season, has done so in a more supportive role with 17 goals and a Clemson single-season record 38 assists. Goldstein has the second-most assists by a freshman in Division I, the third-highest assist per game average for a freshman in Division I and is the highest-ranked freshman in both categories in the ACC. The freshman’s six points against Duke was enough to break the freshman points record originally set by Sofia Chepenik in 2023 with 53, Goldstein has 55 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 48. Both marks lead the ACC, are top-five nationally and Agostino is one of three players in the nation that have over 50 caused turnovers and over 45 ground balls. Graduate transfers Babcock and Maggie Jordan have been great additions for the defense and draw unit. Jordan has recorded 26 ground balls, 42 draw controls and 21 caused turnovers while Babcock has notched 40 ground balls, the second-most in a single season in Clemson history, 27 draws and 20 caused turnovers. Masaracchia is one of four players with 20 caused turnovers and has also put up 27 ground balls.
In the cage, Lamparter is having the best season of her illustrious career. The goalie recorded her seventh double-digit save effort on the year against Pittsburgh, the 13th of her career, and her sixth game this season with a save rate higher than 60%. She has dropped her goals against average to the lowest point of her career, 8.71 and has pushed her save percentage to the highest-point of her career, 49.4%, both of which are ranked third in the ACC and top-15 nationally.
MILESTONE WATCH
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The North Carolina attack is led by Chloe Humphrey with 67 goals and Ashley Humphrey with 65 assists with the sisters combining for 178 points on the season. Olivia Vergano and Marissa White each have at least 30 goals this season with C. Humphrey being second on the team in assists with 19. On defense, the Tar Heels have six players with double-digit caused turnovers and three players with at least 20 ground balls picked up. In the cage, Betty Nelson has 84 saves on the year for a 51.2% save rate and averages 6.87 goals given up per game. The North Carolina program is helmed by Jenny Levy alongside assistant coaches Phil Barnes, Maire McCool and Maiah Bartlett.
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