CLEMSON – Sometimes, a mid-game hug is more than warranted.

And when Alexa Spallina and Emma Penczek jumped into a hug after Penczek’s goal in the second quarter of No. 9 Clemson’s 20-5 win over Vanderbilt Saturday, it was a moment in the works for years.

“We were kind of talking about it earlier before the game like we’ve been waiting for that moment,” Penczek said after the game. “We’ve been practicing and working so hard together as a team and with the support of our coaches and everyone around us.

“We knew that we wanted to be hyped for every little moment that happened. We wanted to celebrate it and that’s what we did today.”

This time last year, Penczek was beginning her senior season at Manchester Valley High School in Hampstead, Md., where she became the schools’ all-time leader in points, goals, assists, draw controls, and forced turnovers. She also became Maryland’s all-time leader in points in her lengthy varsity career.

Penczek’s high school excellence resulted in being named the 2025 USA Lacrosse High School Girls’ National Player of the Year, and the No. 2 overall player in the 2025 class. 

About 275 miles north, Spallina was finishing up a career at Mt. Sinai High School, at which she earned All-American honors three times and was Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1 recruit in the nation.

While Penczek committed to Clemson in September of her junior year, Spallina’s commitment came a few months later after an original commitment to Syracuse, where her three brothers play lacrosse.

So when Spallina found Penczek for an easy goal in transition for a 12-1 lead in their collegiate debuts, the post-score hug marked picking Clemson over traditional lacrosse powers, a new era, and competitors turned teammates.

“I think coming into this program that’s only four years old, we knew we wanted to make an impact and we knew that we were going to eventually,” Spallina said. “We had a lot of targets on our back and I feel like we really showcased from all different angles and I think that’s super important and we’re just so supportive of each other.”

Penczek finished with two goals and an assist to attacker Mikaela Mooney for three total points against the Commodores, while Spallina finished with two goals and five assists. The two freshmen combined for 10 of Clemson’s 32 points, while the freshman class as a whole made up 14 points.

Despite being experienced, highly-rated high school players, Penczek and Spallina had several firsts Saturday. 

First and foremost, the young Tigers got to play at the Clemson Lacrosse Complex for the first time. Despite making collegiate debuts under a microscope, the pair did not feel pre-game jitters.

“It was actually incredible, I was so excited,” Penczek said. “We weren’t nervous at all for today’s game. It was just overloaded with excitement running out of the tunnel and seeing all the people in the stands. It was actually insane to see the amount of support that Clemson University has as a whole for every program.”

Penczek, Spallina, and the Tigers will get their next chance to play at the Clemson Lacrosse Complex Tuesday when they will take on Furman. The Tigers hold a 2-0 record against the Paladins in program history and will look to improve to four consecutive seasons with a 2-0 start. 

First draw is set for 6 p.m.

—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications