MEDFORD, MA (March 5, 2025) -- The No. 2 Tufts University women's lacrosse team exploded for 10 first-quarter goals Wednesday afternoon, cruising past visiting Endicott College 20-6 in non-conference play from Bello Field.
The Jumbos' offensive explosion in the first quarter were the most goals in the first period of a game since tallying 12 in the opening stanza at Hamilton College last year on March 16 in a 21-9 win. The key to the run in the first half was the domination on the draw, as Tufts (3-0) won 10 of the 11 draws in the frame while senior
Genna Gibbons recorded nine draw controls in the first frame.
Tufts took the lead early just 35 seconds into the period as
Madeline Delaney scored off of a nice feed from
Ella Lesperance to make it 1-0. Junior
Allie Zorn scored twice over the next five minutes around goals from
Elsa Schutt and
Emma Joyce to increase the lead up to 5-0 with 8:06 to go in the first quarter.
Senior
Margie Carden and
Caroline Conaghan got in on the action, while Delaney and Lesperance finished off the first quarter onslaught with goals of their own to make it 10-0 heading to the second quarter. Endicott would get on the board early in the second frame, but Carden started another five-goal run over the final 11:55 of the half. The highlight goal though came with 4:32 to play in the half, as Delaney scored a highlight behind the back goal from
Kate Mastrobuono.
The lead would increase up to 19-2 after three quarters, as first-year
Neta Leschly tallied her first career Jumbo goal in the third quarter. Sophomore
Sophia Claps also registered two second-half goals as the Jumbos got valuable playing time for the entire roster.
Gibbons finished with a career day at the circle, as she recorded a personal-high 13 draw controls, breaking the school record previously held by teammate
Emma Joyce with 12 back on March 22, 2023 against Salibury.
Carden tallied five points on four goals and an assist, adding two ground balls, while Lesperance and Zorn each had two goals and a helper. Delaney finished with three goals, Joyce also had three scores and
Grace Hammond scored once to go with three draw wins and a caused turnover. Leschly posted two ground balls in addition to her first Jumbo goal. The three goalkeepers all played for Tufts, as
Pascale de Buren made three saves while allowing one goal in 30 minutes of action.
Devon Chipman had two saves, and
Sophie Powless also stopped a shot in the win.
Tufts outshot Endicott 41-13 for the game, and finished with a very strong 15-for-16 success rate on clears. The hosts also buried five of nice free-position attempts while Endicott was 0-for-3.
The Gulls (1-2) got four points from Emerson Clark, scoring twice while handing out two assists, and Mia Smith tallied a goal and an assist to go along with four draw controls.
The Jumbos will return to action Saturday, March 8 at 1 p.m. in Hartford, CT, taking on Trinity College in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play.
--JUMBOS--
