Clemson Falls to No. 1 North Carolina in NCAA Tournament, 18-9

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Clemson Tigers (14-7) fell to the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels (19-0) on Sunday afternoon at Dorrance Field, 18-9, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 

KEY PERFORMANCES

• Emily Lamparter – 11 saves
• Katie Castiello – 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points
• Bryce Pfundstein – 3 caused turnovers
• Bridget Babcock – 3 goals, 1 ground ball, 2 draw controls

NOTABLES

• Castiello recorded a career-high with four goals and five points
• The Tigers offense held the Tar Heels to only a 30.7% save rate 
• Nine goals is tied for the fourth-most given by North Carolina

HOW IT HAPPENED

North Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the game’s first 5:00, before Lindsey Marshall netted her 60th goal of the year to cut the lead in half. UNC netted back-to-back goals to push the lead to 4-1 with just over a minute remaining in the period, before Castiello cut the lead in half again with 21 seconds to go. North Carolina was able to net a last-second goal to give the Tar Heels a 5-2 lead at the end of the first period.

The Tar Heels continued their scoring run to open the second quarter, scoring three-straight goals. Babcock ended the run with her 15th goal of the year to cut the lead to 8-5, before North Carolina scored their final goal of the half with 3:41 to go. Clemson ended the first half on a scoring run of their own, however, as Castiello and Babcock scored back-to-back goals to cut the lead to 9-5 at halftime. 

North Carolina scored back-to-back goals to start the third period to push the lead to 11-5, before Lexi Edmonds netted her 41st goal of the season to make it an 11-6 advantage. Emily Lamparter doubled her save number in the game with four in the third period, but the Tar Heels ended the period with back-to-back goals, however, to take a 13-6 lead into the game’s final 15:00.   

The Tar Heels were able to net five goals in the fourth to put the game out of reach, as Clemson’s three fourth quarter goals were not enough, giving UNC the 18-9 victory. Castiello led all Tigers with four goals and an assist for five points, while Babcock also picked up a hat trick on the day.