CLEMSON, S.C. – Inside Lacrosse Women released its Freshman Impact Early Season Rankings Thursday afternoon with five Clemson Tigers being featured in the article. The list ranks the top 15 most impactful freshman so far this season. No other school had more than two athletes in the top 15 and Clemson was the only team with two in the top five.
TEAGAN SCOTT | NO. 1 | DEFENSE
Scott tops the ACC and ranks No. 2 nationally in caused turnovers per game with 3.70. To this point, her 38 caused turnovers are the most in the nation, have shattered the previous Clemson freshman record of 12 set by teammate Natalie Shurtleff (2024), already rank No. 3 in Clemson history and is set to break Summer Agostino’s season record of 58. She recently picked up ACC Defensive Player of the Week and IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, March 17, marking the second time this season that she swept both awards in one week (second time being Feb. 17).
“It’s hard to think of a player who has impacted her team more than Scott this season. The defender has been a total menace on the defensive end, consistently creating disruption by causing turnovers and scooping up groundballs. Scott currently sits second in the country in caused turnovers per game (3.78) and is tied for 18th nationally in ground balls per game (3). Her biggest breakout performance came in Clemson’s one-goal loss to Stanford, where she recorded a staggering 10 caused turnovers and four groundballs, showcasing just how dominant she can be on the defensive end.” – ILWomen (Stats exclude Tuesday’s game against Mercer)
ALEXA SPALLINA | NO. 4 | ATTACK
Spallina has collected a team-leading 53 points so far on the season which rank fourth in the NCAA and No. 1 in the ACC. Her 34 assists lead the ACC and place third in the nation. In her second career game against Furman, she set the single-game points record for Clemson with 10. She has also registered an eight-point game (Queens, 2/17) and a nine-point game (Mercer, 3/17).
ILWomen on Spallina: “Spallina has delivered on the expectations that came with her status as the nation’s top-ranked recruit. The freshman has stepped seamlessly into a quarterback role for Clemson’s offense, leading the Tigers in both points and assists with 16 goals and 28 assists while starting all nine games this season. Spallina’s vision and composure have been especially effective against zone defenses, where her ability to read slides and distribute the ball has helped Clemson generate consistent offensive opportunities.” – ILWomen (Stats exclude Tuesday’s game against Mercer)
EMMA PENCZEK | NO. 6 | MIDFIELD
Penczek has been active on both sides of the ball, having the sixth-most goals on the team (15), the fourth-most assists (nine), second-most ground balls (23) and second-most caused turnovers (19) this season.
ILWomen on Penczek: “Like Spallina — the nation’s No. 1 recruit — Penczek (No. 2) has delivered early on for Clemson, emerging as one of the Tigers’ most reliable midfielders. Her ability to impact the game on both ends provides a major spark in transition, and she has put together some of her best performances against high-level ACC competition. Penczek is tied for second on the team in caused turnovers (14) and groundballs (20), while also contributing 13 goals and eight assists on the offensive end.” – ILWomen (Stats exclude Tuesday’s game against Mercer)
TESSA DELUCA | ALSO CONSIDERED | GOALIE
DeLuca has played in every game this season, winning the starting goalie job after the first five games. She ranks No. 5 in the ACC (No. 18 in the NCAA) with a goals-against average of 8.92. DeLuca has recorded 45 saves so far which still ranks top 10 in the ACC despite the limited minutes to start the season.
AUBRIE EISFELD | ALSO CONSIDERED | MIDFIELD
Eisfeld has crept into becoming Clemson’s third-highest scorer with 18 on the season. She is one goal away from joining Shurtleff and Spallina in a three-way-tie to lead the team. Eisfeld has scored in all but one game for the Tigers, having a hat trick in her first-career game in the season opener against Vanderbilt. She also scored a single-game, season high of four against Queens.
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