Vanderbilt Lacrosse Drops Season Opener 20-5 to No. 10 Clemson
Vanderbilt Lacrosse Drops Opener
Today marked the opening of Vanderbilt Lacrosse’s season, and it was an all-out challenge on the banks of Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. Coming into this one, the Commodores would need to find a way to crack the stout Tigers’ defense and play effectively on the other end to slow down their high scoring potential. Those things did not happen as the No. 10 Clemson Tigers took this one 20-5.
Clemson wasted no time, with Mikaela Mooney scoring just under a minute into the game. The Tigers would build a 7-1 lead by the end of the first quarter, with Brooke Goldstein leading the way with a hat trick in the opening quarter. Vanderbilt’s lone bright spot came when Shea Panzik set up freshman Hayden Miller for the Commodores’ first goal of the season to make it 4-1, but that was about it for momentum.
The Dores had a potential second goal taken away when Miller found the net again, but a yellow card for a dangerous follow-through wiped it off the board. That moment kind of summed up Vanderbilt’s afternoon, as chances were hard to come by and even harder to finish.
Clemson pushed the lead to 13-2 by halftime, with Goldstein finishing the half with four goals. The Tigers’ offense was quick and efficient, moving the ball around and getting good looks. The nation’s No. 1 recruit Alexa Spallina got on the board 11:19 to go in the second quarter, and Clemson put up 18 shots on goal in the first half alone.
The second half brought more of the same. Nancy Halleron scored twice for Vanderbilt, including one on a free position shot in the third quarter. Senior Molly Krestinski added another goal after a nice feed from Panzik, showing the kind of play the Commodores will need more of going forward. Brooke Baker also found the net to round out Vanderbilt’s scoring with 7:24 to go in the game.
Today brought many things to take away and build on for the duration of the season. Sometimes games like this are good measuring sticks and give you honest film on what the fixes are. Vanderbilt had plenty of trouble against this quick and sticky Clemson defense. The Commodores registered four shots on goal in the first half and ended with 10 for the whole contest.
Vanderbilt’s five goals showed glimpses of what they can do, but to Clemson’s credit, they were just able to shut it down and make life difficult. In draw controls, Clemson finished with a 15-11 advantage. That area wasn’t as bad as you may think based on the score, but it’s still something to build on.
Freshman Gabby Putman got the start on the draw and picked up four controls in her first college game, while Bailey Lower came away with three. It’s a learning experience for Putman against this level of competition, but there’s something to work with.
On the defensive end of things, Clemson was able to spread it around and find spots to attack where it worked for them. Emme Martin got the start at goalie for the Commodores, and in her defense, it wasn’t easy with the Tigers getting good looks on shots that were tough to stop. The protection has to tighten up for her to have great success. Clemson’s offense was rolling, and this Tigers squad returns a lot of production along with a top freshman class.
The season opener didn’t go as hoped, but there’s film to learn from and things to fix. The Commodores will look to regroup as they will open up their five game homestand on Friday against Mercer at 12:00 PM and can be seen on ESPN+.
