The Tigers spent much of February on the road, returning home for the last two weekends to collect three conference wins. On Feb. 20 and 21, Clemson downed West Virginia and Kentucky before handling North Carolina one week later.
West Virginia fought hard in the first half on Feb. 20. The Mountaineers jumped out to a first-quarter lead, 4-1. But with a six-goal second quarter, No. 10 Clemson, 7-1, 3-0 ALC, led at halftime by one point.
The faceoff fueled the Tigers’ second-half takeover. Logan Jordan dominated that aspect of the game, going 16-for-20. Emerson Smith made 12 saves, providing multiple offensive opportunities from between the pipes.
Holden Morrison capitalized on those opportunities again and again, scoring three goals and three assists. Aidan McNulty netted two and assisted two others, totaling 10 points for Clemson’s dynamic duo of attackmen.
In the final 30 minutes of game time, the Tigers outscored West Virginia, 7-4, to finish 14-10 for their first conference win.
Clemson had much less trouble the following afternoon against Kentucky.
Smith followed up with another good outing, posting a 75% save percentage in net. Morrison scored another five goals while McNulty scored three and tallied three more assists. Landen Snyder and Tyler Superczynski scored two goals and an assist each, tying for No. 3 in team scoring.
When all was said and done, Clemson prevailed, 18-5, for its second ALC victory.
The Tigers wasted no time with North Carolina one week later.
Clemson flew out to a nearly insurmountable halftime lead, 13-2. Though the Tar Heels challenged the Tigers at the faceoff, causing a scrum on almost every one, it was not enough. Clemson scored a season-high 20 goals in a 20-6 victory.
Last season, Clemson started 7-2 before spring break, finishing with just one win in the final five regular-season games. This year, sitting at 7-1, a question remains: Can the Tigers stay hot?
Clemson has a month-long break before the following slate of games. Even with the extended time between contests, the Tigers will remain focused.
“It’s the Virginia teams that always get us,” Adam Neil, club president and team captain, told The Tiger in an interview. “So I like how we have three weeks to prep for them. It comes down to discipline, and teams in the past had a good amount of discipline, but something feels different with this team.”
On March 27, Clemson heads to Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on No. 16 Virginia Tech. The Tigers lost to the Hokies in the 2025 regular season, but handed them a season-ending defeat weeks later in the ALC quarterfinals.
No. 3 Liberty awaits two days later, when Clemson takes on the reigning conference and national champion Flames in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty defeated the Tigers in the ALC semifinals last year during the postseason.
