CLEMSON –  After leading by two goals with six minutes to play, No. 3 seed Clemson allowed three goals from No. 2 seed Stanford to fall 13-12 in the Semifinal Round of the ACC Tournament at American Legion Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Friday.

The Tigers trailed by as many as three goals in the first half, and battled back to take a 12-10 lead in the fourth, thanks to second half hat tricks from freshmen Emma Penczek and Aubrie Eisfeld. Still, Stanford used a 3-0 run after Clemson’s 7-2 offensive burst to advance to its first ACC Championship game.

Clemson (14-5, 7-4 ACC) had a shot on goal to tie it up in the final seconds, but Stanford secured a save and a rebound to get the win.

In addition to four goals from Eisfeld and a hat trick from Penczek, attacker Brooke Goldstein and midfielder Natalie Shurtleff also had multi-score games to round out the scoring for Clemson. Two players from Stanford recorded hat tricks.

Spallina opened all scoring four minutes in with a rip into the back of the cage to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Six minutes later, junior midfielder Natalie Shurtleff scored her 39th goal of the season on the Power Play to extend the lead 2-0.

With 4:45 to play in the first, Cardinal (15-3, 9-2 ACC) attacker Aliya Polisky, who ranks seventh in the ACC in goals per game, pushed a goal past Clemson goalie Tessa Deluca to cut the lead 2-1. Rylee Bouvier scored her 19th of the season to tie it up 2-2 with 1:44 to play in the corner on a woman-down goal.

Though the Tigers played woman-up for four minutes in the first quarter due to two key penalties on Stanford, they failed to capitalize opportunities, and did not win a draw control in the first period. Deluca, however, had three early saves.

Before the first period ended, Clemson freshman Aubrie Eisfeld ripped in a goal to retake a 3-2 lead. Defensively, the Tigers forced three turnovers to Stanford’s one in the first 15 minutes.

Stanford struck first in the second, tying it up again with a Free Position goal from attacker Martha Oakey. The Cardinal took its first lead three minutes later with a goal inside from Ava Arceri. In this span, Clemson committed four turnovers. 

Arceri scored again with 4:59 in the half to extend the Cardinal lead 5-3 and their second quarter run 3-0.

Spallina found attacker Brooke Goldstein, fresh off of a 4-for-4 night Wednesday, for a goal two minutes later to cut the lead, but Stanford scored on a Free Position goal to take a 6-4 lead headed to the half. It marked the first time Clemson trailed after two quarters since a 12-10 win over Virginia on March 14.

Entering the matchup, the Tigers were 1-2 this season when trailing at the half.

Clemson opened up the scoring in the second half with a goal from freshman Emma Penczek to cut the lead to one, but with Tigers defender Paris Masaracchia out on a penalty, Arceri scored her third goal for a hat trick and a 7-5 lead. The Cardinal extended it further with another goal 36 seconds later.

Penczek and Eisfeld willed a third-quarter comeback with two goals in 40 seconds to make it a one-score game. Goldstein and Polisky continued trading offensive punches with one goal each, and Jordyn Case, a Charlotte native, gave the Cardinal some insurance with a Free Position goal with 4:29 to play in the third.

Eisfeld responded quickly with her third score of the evening off Shurtleff’s third assist. Stanford held a 10-9 lead entering the fourth period after a high-powered nine-goal third. Entering the fourth, the Cardinal were 13-0 when leading after three periods.

After being down as many as three goals, Goldstein found Penczek on a Free Position assist to extend a 5-2 scoring run and tie it up for the first time since a 3-3 score. Eisfeld scored her fourth goal, tied for a career high, to break the stalemate with 7:44 to play and give Clemson its first lead since the second quarter.

Shurtleff slung in another goal, her 49th of the season, to increase the lead 12-10 one minute later, increasing a 7-2 scoring run from the Tigers. After a 3-for-11 start shooting, with Eisfeld’s goal, the Tigers were 9-for-11, including a stretch of making five goals on perfect shooting.

Stanford cut off the run with a goal by Martha Oakey with 2:52 to play, and won a draw control to get another possession. Another goal tied it up with 1:56 to play. Peep Williams scored the winning goal with 33 seconds left.

Defensive Battle

The Tigers’ defense caused eight turnovers, while Stanford’s caused seven. Deluca recorded seven saves while Cardinal goalie Lucy Pearson had five. Clemson held Stanford scoreless for 17 minutes before surrendering two goals in the last three minutes of regulation, but Stanford shut out Clemson in the final minutes to secure the win.

Up Next

The Tigers will await their postseason fate until May 4, when the NCAA will host its annual selection show.