Reigning national champs UNC downed Clemson in Charlotte, 16-6. (Clemson athletics photo)

by CU Athletic Communications - Wed Apr 26 23:21:53 GMT-04:00 2023

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The No. 6 seeded Clemson Tigers (12-6, 4-6 ACC) fall to the No. 3 seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (13-3, 7-2 ACC) in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament in Charlotte, N.C. on Wednesday night, 16-6. Five different Tigers recorded goals as Belle Martire led all scorers with two.

Goalkeeper, Emily Lamparter, played all 60 minutes and recorded eleven saves after facing 37 shots from North Carolina.

Belle Martire opened up scoring for the Tigers within the first three minutes of the first quarter to capture her twenty-third goal of the season. Clemson’s defense kept North Carolina scoreless for the first twelve minutes of the game as Lamparter tallied four saves in the first quarter alone.

The Tar Heels came out hot in the second quarter as they went on a 6-0 run over the first nine minutes of the quarter. Senior Emma Tilson ended North Carolina’s run as she scored her own goal off a free-position. The Tigers finished the first half with a score of 2-8.

Sofia Chepenik and Hanna Hilcoff scored back-to-back goals within five minutes of each other in the opening minutes of the second half. The Tar Heels went on to score four unanswered goals to close out the third quarter. To start the fourth quarter, Gianna New etched her 50th goal of the season thanks to an assist by Maddy Moloney. Martire then recorded her second of the game from an assist by Hilcoff to bring the Tigers within eight. After two more goals from North Carolina, the final score was 16-6.

Clemson, which came into the tournament ranked No. 17 nationally, awaits its NCAA Tournament fate now, which will be announced on May 7.