Stanford Snaps Clemson’s Win Streak in Top-14 Clash

On the West Coast, No. 14 Clemson took on No. 9 Stanford, their fourth top-10 opponent. The Tigers are currently on a five-game winning streak. Emily Lamparter got the start in the cage. The senior keeper has collected 33 saves for a 60.6% save rate over the winning streak. She would be up against junior Lucy Pearson for Stanford. Pearson is averaging 9.06 goals allowed per game and a 46.2% save rate. Here’s how the first game between these two ACC programs played out.

Defensive stalemate

Stanford opened the game winning the draw control, yet couldn’t get a shot off in their first offensive possession. This would be the theme of the first few minutes of play. Both teams' defenses were disruptive, combining for 12 turnovers split evenly between the teams. The Cardinal's Aliya Polisky broke the ice at 6:36 for the first goal of the game. Elise Murphy followed up in transition minutes later. Clemson struggled to find a clean shot, but Lindsey Marshall managed to get the Tigers on the board with 16 seconds left in the quarter.

Stanford remain's strong

The defense continued to dictate the game. Lamparter picked up 8 saves through the first half, but it was Stanford who remained in control of the game. They led the draw control battle 5-3, allowing them more possessions, where they added two more goals to their lead. Their defense double-teamed cutters through the eight-meter arc, limiting Clemson to only three shots on goal in the second period.

All of Clemson’s opportunities came towards the end of the quarter. After a forced turnover, Marshall pulled back the offense with a little over a minute remaining. The Tigers were able to successfully run an offensive set with Brooke Goldstein finding the back of the net to move the score to 4-2.

Penalties plague the Tigers

Clemson kept their defense physical, seemingly racking up fouls. These penalties repeatedly put the Tigers in bad positions. Polisky scored off a middle free-position shot. A green card gave Stanford the woman-up advantage that Bouvier collected her second goal of the day on. More yellow cards and shooting fouls let Stanford continue to pull away. Kira Balis even recorded an infraction off a draw control to award the possession to the Cardinal. All momentum was rolling towards the red and white team. Stanford scored 6 goals in the third quarter while shutting out Clemson. The four stacked yellow cards would put Clemson a woman down the rest of the game.

Late surge not enough

None other than Marshall scored Clemson's first goal of the second half at 13:25 in the fourth quarter. Lexi Edmonds and Regan Byrne added on goals to provide a spark for Clemson’s offense. Stanford scored, but Goldstein responded within 30 seconds. The Tigers hit their hot streak, cutting the deficit to 5. Byrne had a beautiful behind-the-back score, but it would not be enough to complete the comeback.

Ava Arceri had herself a day

Arceri made her presence known all across the field. On offense, she found the back of the net repeatedly while also dishing out assists to teammates. Then, she would hustle in the center circle to pick up draw control wins. The sophomore greatly contributed to Stanford’s dominance, finishing the day with 7 points from 4 goals and 3 assists.

Looking ahead

Stanford effectively snapped Clemson’s winning streak with a second-half explosion, defeating the Tigers 14-8. Pearson shut out Clemson in the third quarter and collected 13 saves total. For the Tigers, 22 fouls provided Stanford with multiple opportunities to deal damage. These errors will need to be worked on when Clemson returns home to host Pittsburgh in their final game of the season. Come support your Tigers in their pink game as the team looks towards securing a spot in the ACC and possibly NCAA tournament.