With four-minutes on the clock, Duke was down 11-10 at the Clemson Lacrosse Complex. The Blue Devils were attempting to claw their way out of the one-point deficit after trailing for most of the contest. The teams traded possession, but Clemson — having claimed the prior draw control — held onto momentum. Duke attempted to capitalize on a Clemson turnover, but struggled to find an opening in the Tigers’ powerful defense. Then, Clemson junior Paris Masaracchia drew a yellow card.
With Duke now playing a woman up, sophomore Bella Goodwin’s cross found the ball off of a wide shot from senior Carly Bernstein. Before the Tigers could even register the pass, Goodwin took an up-close shot to send the ball flying into the net. The Blue Devils were now tied 11-11 and had a shot at taking down the Tigers.
In a down-to-the-wire contest, 13th-ranked Duke pulled off a stunning upset against No. 9 Clemson. In a true team effort, new and old Blue Devils alike recovered Duke from a two-point deficit with three goals in the last seven minutes to secure Duke’s first ACC road win of the season, 12-11. Just two days later, the Blue Devils continued their road conquest in Buies Creek, N.C., taking down Campbell 16-14.
“Our goal was to grind their defense down. They play a very high pressure defense,” head coach Kerstin Kimel said Tuesday. “We felt like, if we maximized our possessions and didn't initiate until we were under 50 seconds on the shot clock … we would be in a position to open up opportunities to score, which is ultimately what happened.”
Clemson was unstoppable. The Tigers — entering just their third season ever — had devastated one opponent after another, holding an undefeated 6-0 record, with two conference victories, for the 2025 season. They had just upset two ranked conference foes, pulling out a 12-11 win over No. 11 Notre Dame from No. 17 and a 9-8 win over No. 6 Syracuse from No. 14.
“They really didn't change their strategy from their Syracuse game, and so that was helpful to us in executing our game plan. We started slow, and once we got in a rhythm it became a lot easier for us to anticipate what we were going to do on the ball and off the ball,” Kimel said.
They were not looking to halt their streak. The Tigers (6-1, 2-1 in the ACC) handed Duke a scoreless first period, where Clemson threw four shots past keeper Kennedy Everson to gain a 4-0 lead. On the other end, Tiger keeper Emily Lamparter was a brick wall, blocking attempt after attempt from the Blue Devils (6-2, 2-1 in the ACC) for a total of five thwarted shots.
But this was a comeback story.
“We were down five to one, and they just were never really flustered or rattled. They had confidence in our ability to win the ball,” Kimel said.
Almost four minutes into the second period, Bella Goodwin’s ball found the net. Harvard transfer Callie Hem passed the ball wide from to redshirt-sophomore Eva Pronti, who threw from behind the net to Goodwin. The Basking Ridge, N.J., native executed a quick and low shot into the goal.
Hem and Goodwin ended the game at the top of the box score, notching five and four goals respectively. Both women were instrumental in the 3-0 run in the fourth period that allowed Duke to win the game from behind.
"They were never really flustered or rattled," Kimel said of her team. "They had confidence in our ability to win the ball.”
After a late first point from the Blue Devils, the two teams traded points back and forth for most of the game. While Duke maintained its momentum, it never quite got close enough to the Tigers to make a bid for the lead. That was, until Hem opened the floodgates — and when it rains, it pours. Duke was down two when an aggressive bid for a ground ball sent freshman Amanda Paci halfway down the field; she rocketed the ball towards Bernstein. Bernstein’s pass found Hemm, who captured a point while the defense was distracted by Goodwin’s position near the net. The gap was closing, now at 11-10 Clemson.
"I thought we did a great job understanding that we could stay in the game, and we did,” Kimel said. “Even when we were down two goals in the fourth quarter, they just kept grinding away and making really good decisions and executing. The big lesson is that you're never out of it.”
Following Goodwin’s goal to tie the teams up, play turned stagnant. Both teams have stellar defenses and neither the Tigers or the Blue Devils could break through to bust the tie.
With 90 seconds left on the clock, Pronti showed incredible playmaking prowess. Running around the net, the Rochester, N.Y., native sent the ball wide to senior Mattie Shearer, who secured the Blue Devils their victory with a decisive final shot.
After the all-out-brawl against Clemson, nonconference Campbell was a welcome opponent. The Blue Devils took an early lead and, by halftime, held the Camels to a seven-point deficit, at 9-2. Notably, though, Duke struggled to earn draw controls. The Blue Devils seem to still be struggling to fill the role of draw specialist after the departure of the dominant Maddie Jenner in 2023.
Duke dominance during the Campbell matchup allowed head coach Kerstin Kimel to show off the diversity of the Blue Devil roster. Seven separate athletes scored during the contest, from team staples like Goodwin to redshirt freshman Reagan Digby, who notched her first career goal.
“We knew this year, we were going to have to really rely on our freshmen. That really started in the summer, to make sure people felt welcomed and included,” Kimel said.
Bernstein continued to provide valuable support and control on offense against the Camels, with two assists, five saves and two goals to her name. Hem and Goodwin earned seven assists each.
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The Blue Devils look to continue their road conquest against No. 16 Virginia Saturday at Klöckner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.