Clemson lacrosse upsets No. 13 Duke for program's first ACC win

Clemson women's lacrosse notched a first ACC and top 25 win on Saturday versus Duke (Clemson athletics file photo).

by CU Athletic Communications - Sat Mar 11 16:20:02 GMT-04:00 2023

Clemson, S.C. — The Clemson Tigers lacrosse team (7-2, 1-2 ACC ) upset the No. 13 Duke Blue Devils (4-3, 0-3 ACC) 11-10 on Saturday, March 11 at Historic Riggs Field. This marks Clemson’s first win over both an ACC and top 25 ranked opponent.

"I am incredibly proud of this team," said Head Coach Allison Kwolek. "They battled back from an early deficit and made big plays in critical moments. The atmosphere was amazing and for a team that has only been together for 6 months, to take down a top-15 team, it's simply incredible. That says so much about these incredible women. Sofia rose to the occasion today. She’s only a freshman but clearly lives for big moments. Emily and our entire defense made stop after stop and played a phenomenal game."

Leading Clemson in goals, freshman Sofia Chepenik notched a career high of four goals. Clemson’s defense stood their ground and forced 11 turnovers, including one in the final minute of the game to seal the Tiger’s victory. Goalie Emily Lamparter impressed all 60 minutes in the cage and registered 11 saves.

All four quarters of Saturday’s matchup were a back and forth battle. Emma Tilson got the Tiger’s on the board first at 10:41 in the first quarter. Soon after, Duke responded with a goal of their own. By the end of the first quarter, Clemson and Duke were tied 3-3.

The Blue Devils would have their biggest scoring run in the second quarter with four goals. As a result, Clemson was down 7-5 at the end of the first half.

Sofia Chepenik played a critical role in Clemson’s comeback. Chepenik opened the scoring in the second half to make it a one point game. Chepenik then went on to score three more times in the fourth quarter, including Clemson’s winning goal of the game at 2:31.

Up next, Clemson will play another top 25-ranked ACC team, as they play the No. 5 Boston College at Historic Riggs field on Thursday, March 16 at 4:00 p.m.