The No. 18 Clemson lacrosse team fell to the No. 14 Virginia Cavaliers 18-12 at the Clemson Lacrosse Complex on Saturday, marking the Tigers’ first loss of the season as they took on their first top 25 opponent this year.

Clemson (4-1, 1-1 ACC) was short on much of its offensive manpower, as attackers Regan Byrne, Hanna Hilcoff, Kerri Thornton, and midfielder Ella Little were all unavailable for the game. Though four of their starters were relegated to the sidelines, the offense’s depth helped keep the Tigers in the game.

The Tigers were led by attacker Claire Bockstie and midfielder Shannon Brazier, who each scored a hat trick. Bockstie, a graduate transfer from UMBC, has earned at least three points in each game this season.

At its narrowest, the scoring margin came within one as Clemson was down 10-9 halfway through the third quarter. However, Virginia (5-1, 1-1 ACC) pulled away in the fourth, scoring four unanswered goals before Brazier responded with her third of the game to bring the Tigers’ deficit to five.

Still, the Cavaliers’ final run created too large of a hole for the Tigers to recover from.

Aggression seemed to be inevitable in this highly-anticipated ACC matchup, as the first quarter alone saw nine fouls exchanged between the teams. In response to Virginia’s high-flying offense, the Tigers came into the second quarter swinging, scoring within 15 seconds of the first whistle thanks to Bockstie; this marked her 12th of the season, moving her ahead of Byrne to take the title of the leading scorer on the team.

Clemson goalie Emily Lamparter had her work cut out for her against the duo of Katia Carnevale and Mackenzie Hoeg, who each had 13 goals to their name coming into Saturday’s matchup. Seven of the Cavaliers’ total goals on the day came from the duo.

In the shooting category, the teams were evenly matched – the Cavaliers recorded 33 shots and nine saves, compared to the Tigers’ 28 shots and Lamparter’s nine saves.

Next up, head coach Allison Kwolek and her team will travel to Macon, Georgia, to take on the Mercer Bears on Tuesday at 2 p.m. They return to the Clemson Lacrosse Complex next weekend to face another ranked ACC opponent, No. 7 North Carolina, at 3 p.m. on Saturday.