At the beginning of last month, the Tigers were in a rut.
Clemson fell to No. 1 North Carolina 12-9 on March 4, marking the fourth narrow loss in as many games, all against top-25 opponents.
The Tigers were winless in the ACC through the first three regular-season conference matchups and were drowning in a conference that they had impressed in just one season prior. Clemson needed to reset and do so quickly.
Despite sporting a 3-4 record heading into a home matchup against then-No. 6/7 Notre Dame, the Tigers were undaunted. Clemson upset and outclassed the Fighting Irish, riding a five-goal Regan Byrne performance to a 13-9 win, the highest-ranked home victory in program history.
The Tigers have been rolling ever since. Clemson has won each of its last 10 games, bringing home four top-25 and seven conference victories.
In that time, the team has found leadership and spectacular play from some of its youngest members.
Alexa Spallina’s 34 goals and 64 assists are good for third in the NCAA points scored this season, while Teagan Scott has caused a national second-best 56 turnovers. The two freshmen were named All-ACC first teamers alongside Natalie Shurtleff on April 21.
The hot streak is not only attributable to the quality of play on the field, but also to the kind of play. When watching Clemson play, it’s clear the Tigers are having fun.
It’s hard to miss; the Tigers throw hat-trick parties, dancing all the while.
In the final game of the season, a 16-7 win over Florida State, Clemson had four players record three or more goals: Marleigh O’Day with four and Natalie Shurtleff, Brooke Goldstein and Byrne with three each.
Senior Day was the team’s biggest showcase of its newfound energy. After defeating No. 17 Duke 17-5, the Tigers debuted a new Senior Day tradition: cannonballing into Lake Hartwell. Every player and coach jumped into the lake after the game.
Unlike earlier in the season, however, Clemson is afloat.
In fact, the Tigers are ranked No. 9 in both polls with a 13-4 record, and the regular season finale marked the 50th win in program history.
The Tigers secured the No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament with a 7-3 regular season conference record, and they prepare to face sixth-seeded No. 15 Notre Dame in the quarterfinals in a rematch of the game that started the win streak.
With a strong performance like last year’s, the Tigers could once again find themselves dancing in May with another bid to the NCAA Tournament.
