The Clemson lacrosse team fell to No. 10 Virginia 16-7 in its second loss of the inaugural season on Friday.
The Tigers held on in the first quarter, tying the game at 2-2 when the whistle blew. Virginia picked up its tempo in the second quarter as it sent seven balls to the back of the net, ending the half with a 9-3 lead.
Ultimately, the Tigers couldn’t overcome this deficit, and Virginia scored seven more goals in the second half to reach the 16-point mark.
Penalties and subsequent free-position shots were a factor in Clemson losing steam, as the Tigers gave up 11 free-position shots.
The Cavaliers watched the film ahead of time as their defenders stuck to Clemson’s leading scorer Hanna Hilcoff like glue. Hilcoff had five shots on goal, none of which were scored.
Clemson capitalized on their strengths when it could, especially in the circle, and maintained competitive draws throughout the game, winning 12 compared to the Cavaliers’ 15.
Despite a disappointing outcome, Clemson midfielder Emma Tilson had herself a game. The senior scored two goals in the first quarter and ended with a team-high three goals for her first hat trick of the season.
The Tigers will need to gain some momentum before gearing up against other ACC teams. So far, the program’s only losses are to in-conference opponents, and within the next two weeks, the Tigers will challenge both No. 11 Duke and No. 4 Boston College.
Ahead of those two tough matchups, Clemson did bounce back on Sunday when it defeated Longwood 21-3. The Tigers will be back in action on Wednesday when they host Campbell.
