In its first two years as a Division I program, the Clemson women’s lacrosse team met the Irish three times, once in 2022-23 and twice in 2023-24, the second matchup coming in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal. While the Tigers played to an 0-3 record in those games, the average margin of defeat was a mere 2 goals, with every game coming down to the wire. The 2025 edition of the matchup was no different. This time, however, the No. 11 Irish fell short in a 12-11 thriller to their No. 17-ranked ACC foes.
Clemson opened up an early 3-0 lead before freshman midfielder Madison Rassas got on the board for Notre Dame, picking up right where she left off after back-to-back 5-goal performances in the Loftus Sports Center. Sophomore midfielder Kathryn Morrissey connected with fellow sophomore midfielder Angie Conley for her second dime of the game and Conley’s first goal, making it 3-2 heading into the second quarter.
Just 33 seconds in, however, the Tigers answered back to go up 4-2. Morrissey’s free-position shot brought the deficit back to one before Clemson rattled off two more for a 6-3 advantage. The two went back and forth to finish the half, with Conley setting up junior attacker Emma Murphy’s first goal, followed by Clemson’s last goal of the half with 2:28 remaining. The Irish would grab the final goal of the first 30 with 10 seconds remaining after sophomore attacker Kate Timarky scooped and scored off a save rebound.
The Irish came out the gates firing in the third, extending their streak to 4 unanswered goals. Tallies from Rassas, Timarky and Shanahan gave them their first lead of the game at 8-7. Clemson stopped the bleeding with a free-position shot before Rassas responded right back to secure her hat trick and retake a 9-8 Notre Dame lead. The back-and-forth continued as the Tigers managed to tie the game heading into the fourth. The deciding final frame was filled with drama, as both teams continued to trade blows. Timarky’s hat-trick goal in transition made it 10-9 before back-to-back free-position goals helped Clemson retake a 1-goal advantage.
Shanahan fired in her second goal of the night at 3:58 to tie it back up, setting up a finale full of fireworks. The Tigers scored the would-be game-winner with 1:04 on the clock and regained possession after an Irish turnover. But with eight seconds left, a swarm of Irish defenders forced a Clemson turnover leading to a transition opportunity for Morrissey. The sophomore found the back of the net with four seconds left, seeming to send the game into overtime. However, the referees called the goal back due to offsides.
The dramatic defeat opened the Irish up 0-1 in ACC play and 2-2 on the season. They will look to bounce back as they begin a two-game road stint against conference opponent Duke on Friday, Feb. 28, before facing Elon two days later.
