Vanderbilt (1-1) dropped in its first match of the season to No. 18 Clemson (2-0), 20-12. Due to inclement weather, the game was not held in Vanderbilt’s Lacrosse Complex, but rather in the Indoor Facility.
Clemson would not let up on the offensive end, scoring off the draw after multiple Vanderbilt goals, thwarting any momentum the Commodores looked to gain.
“We knew [Clemson was] gonna be a high-level opponent,” said Coach Beth Hewitt. “I think the key is we just got off to a little bit of a flat start, and I thought we had a hard time finding our energy today.”
Kemper Robinson and Jaime Biskup both scored hat tricks for the Commodores, with six other Commodores adding one goal each.
First quarter
Vanderbilt won the opening draw and used its first possession to survey the Clemson zone. Though it kept possession for a while, no Commodore was able to break far inside the 12-meter fan, turning the ball over when Maddie Barkate threw an errant pass out of bounds. Clemson wasted no time on the other side, as Lexi Edmonds found Blair Byrne for the first goal of the game. Brooke Baker answered with a goal of her own shortly after via the free-position shot, tying the game for the ‘Dores. Clemson wouldn’t be tied for long, scoring its second and third goals of the game within a minute, changing the score to 3-1 in favor of the Tigers.
With a hair under 7 minutes left in the first quarter, Logan Risenhoover picked up a green card, putting the Tigers in a power play. Clemson midfielder Reagan Burne found Katie Castiello on the right wing outside the fan who sliced past the defense to get the the middle of the field and fired past Maddie Joyce for another Clemson goal. 4-1 Tigers.
With seemingly no momentum, Vanderbilt was awarded a free-position shot on its next offensive possession. Biskup lined up at the left side of the fan and after the whistle, took a shuffle forward and sent a rocket to the top right of the cage, piercing the back of the net. Vanderbilt was back on the board, though still down, 4-2. The momentum didn’t last long, with Halleron picking up a green card immediately off the draw and Clemson’s Brooke Goldstein putting the ball in the back of the net, pushing the lead back up to three. Clemson would tack on one more goal from another free-position goal, making the lead 6-2.
Risenhoover would score her second goal of the quarter to cut the lead to three, but Kayla Macleod would score two goals of her own within the last minute, giving Clemson the 8-3 lead going into the end of the first quarter.
Second quarter
The ‘Dores would strike first in the second quarter when McKenna Harden found a wide-open Barkate in the middle of the field for an easy goal. The game went quiet for roughly five minutes after — including a missed Clemson free-position shot — but off of a Baker yellow card, Goldstein scored her second of the game. 9-4 Clemson. Two minutes later, Castiello lined up for a free-position shot on the right side of the fan and instead of taking the shot, she dished to Natalie Shurtleff in the middle of the field for Clemson’s tenth goal of the game.
Disaster continued when Clemson won the draw control, and Edmonds tried to force a pass to Goldstein inside the fan. Though Vanderbilt broke up the pass, the ball ricocheted into the net, awarding Goldstein a hat trick less than halfway into the game.
Vanderbilt broke Clemson’s 3-0 run with a goal from Molly Finlay, her first of the season. But right after, Clemson won the draw and scored a free-position goal, pushing the lead right back to seven. The Tigers then won the draw and scored immediately after once again, putting the ‘Dores down 13-5, which the score would stay until halftime.
Third quarter
Going into the second half, Hewitt decided to replace Joyce in goal for first-year Emme Martin, getting her first playing time as a Commodore. Vanderbilt attempted to send the first-year immediate support while eyeing a free-position shot, but Robinson’s shot was saved. Instead, the first shot Martin saw zipped past her and Clemson took a 14-5 lead. Clemson would score a second goal of the half less than 40 seconds later, extending its lead to double digits.
Robinson — a top goal scorer last year — would break her silence in the game with a goal; her second of the season. Clemson and Vanderbilt would then trade four straight goals: Clemson scored, then Robinson scored her second of the quarter, then Clemson scored once again, and then Vanderbilt answered back with another goal — all without a single stop. With three minutes left in the third quarter and the chaos subsided, Clemson’s lead was 17-8.
Clemson scored one final goal of the quarter, a free-position goal from Lexi Edmonds, to extend the Tiger lead to 18-8.
Fourth Quarter
Clemson slowed the pace down in the second half, wasting much of the shot clock in its possessions. Because of this strategy, Clemson recorded the first goal of the quarter 7 minutes in. Vanderbilt answered back two minutes later, with Halleron scoring her first goal of the game off the assist from Sammy Nuchow. Robinson was the next to score, netting her third goal of the game on a free-position goal, bringing the lead back to single digits. Clemson would score off the draw to bring the lead back to ten until Vanderbilt replied with a goal of its own off the draw — first-year Anna Szporn’s first goal as a Commodore. Szporn continued to contribute, assisting for first-year Shea Panzik’s first career goal, bringing the score to 20-12, which is where the match would finish.
“Regardless of what’s going on on the scoreboard, you still can’t forget the fact that it’s [Szporn’s and Panzik’s] first collegiate goal. So, we’re excited for them [and] there’s gonna be a lot more of where that came from.”
Vanderbilt looks to bounce back in a match on the road in Denver, Colorado, when the Commodores face Denver University on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 1:00 p.m. CST.
