CLEMSON – After a historic year, Clemson’s season came to a close at Dorrance Field Sunday with a 17-6 loss to No. 2 seed North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The loss marked the second consecutive year the Tigers have fallen to the Tar Heels, the 2025 national champions, in the second round of postseason play. As the Tigers struggled to find any answers for North Carolina’s offense, Clemson suffered its largest margin of defeat this season despite four fourth quarter goals.

Earlier in the season on March 4, the Tar Heels defeated the Tigers by a margin of 12-9, the closest win for North Carolina this season.

Clemson (15-6, 7-4 ACC) struck first with a quick goal from veteran Natalie Shurtleff, but North Carolina answered with 14 unanswered goals in the first half, stifling any chances for the Tigers to get back into the game. Clemson answered back with five second half goals to cut the initial lead.

Chloe Humphrey, the NCAA’s leader in goals this season, scored seven goals and had four assists. Freshman Anna Brown scored two goals for the Tigers, while Natalie Shurtleff, Emma Penczek, Aubrie Eisfeld, and Brooke Goldstein each scored once.

The Tar Heels’ defense caused seven turnovers, winning 16 draw controls to Clemson’s five. Clemson got 15 shots on goal to North Carolina’s 20.

After North Carolina (17-1, 11-0 ACC) won the opening draw, the Tigers’ defense got a stop, and with the shot clock running down, Alexa Spallina found Shurtleff for the first score of the afternoon. Clemson threatened again two minutes later, but North Carolina’s goalie Betty Nelson picked up her first save of the afternoon, and attacker Chloe Humphrey scored her 93rd goal to even the score 1-1.

Humphrey scored again on a Free Position goal with 5:39 left in the first to take a 2-1 lead. Addison Patillo scored twice and Humphrey slashed in another goal for a first-quarter hat trick to take a 5-1 lead after the first quarter.

After the Tar Heels added two more quick second quarter scores, Clemson replaced freshman Tessa Deluca in goal, bringing in veteran Gigi Adamson. After another penalty from Clemson’s defense, Humphrey scored her fourth goal, bringing the score to 8-1. Deluca was soon back in the game.

After six more goals, the Tar Heels held a 14-1 lead at the half.

The Tigers scored for the first time since the first quarter with 2:00 to play in the third quarter on a man-up goal from Brown, and slashed in four more in the fourth quarter. Clemson outscored North Carolina 4-1 in the final period with goals from Eisfeld, Goldstein, Penczek, and Brown.

Freshman Alexa Spallina and Penczek each finished with an assist. Adamson, who returned in the second half, finished with three saves, while North Carolina’s two goalies finished with nine combined saves.

Now, the Tigers will look ahead to the 2027 season, in which most of their contributors this season will be eligible to return. Clemson’s squad finished with its best record in program history in 2026 in its fourth year of existence.