MEDFORD, MA (April 15, 2023) -- No. 7 Wesleyan used big second quarter to gain an early advantage over the No. 5 Tufts University women's lacrosse team, topping the Jumbos 14-10 in a Top 10 matchup from Bello field in Medford, MA.
Wesleyan (10-2) scored the first four goals of the game, as Olivia Lai put the Cardinals up 4-0 on a free-position shot with 3:47 remaining in the first quarter. The Jumbos would respond with two of their own as
Emma Joyce and
Allie Zorn scored just 28 seconds apart. Tufts would have an opportunity to make it a one goal game at the end of the quarter but Wesleyan goalie Abby Wolk denied Tufts and the score remained 4-2 going into the second.
The second quarter saw Wesleyan outscore Tufts 6-1 in the quarter as they took a 10-3 lead going into the halftime break. Lai would score two in the quarter as five different Cardinals scored and opened up a 10-2 lead late in the quarter. Zorn would score a free-position goal with a minute left before going to halftime.
In the third quarter the two teams would trade goals throughout as
Caroline Walter got the scoring going for Tufts. Wesleyan would get the next two goals before Joyce would score her second of the game. Kate Balicki would score with 3:48 left to put Wesleyan up 14-5. Tufts would respond before the end of the quarter as
Margie Carden took a feed from
Alexa Amorosino and make it 14-5 going into the fourth quarter.
Amorosino would get the Jumbos started in the fourth quarter as she would add two goals to cut the Wesleyan lead to 14-8. Carden would score on a woman-down situation with three minutes left and the score now 14-9.
Madeline Delaney found the back of the net with one second left as the game ended 14-10.
Tufts (9-3) was led by Joyce and Amorosino who each scored two goals on the afternoon and added an assist. Zorn and Carden each scored two goals. Joyce also had 10 draw controls in the game.
For Wesleyan, Balocki had five points, four goals and an assist, while Lai scored three goals and added an assist. Wesleyan outshot Tufts 32-27 and was 20-21 on clears.
Tufts will continue its NESCAC tomorrow, April 16
th, as they travel to Williamstown, MA and face Williams College at 2:00 PM.
--JUMBOS--
