MEDFORD, MA (April 25, 2025) -- The No. 2 Tufts University women's lacrosse team starts the postseason Saturday at noon on Bello Field, hosting Bates College in the 2025 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) quarterfinals. The Jumbos enter Saturday's soiree with the Bobcats 14-1 on the season, coming off a 22-11 win over Bowdoin College Wednesday in the regular season finale. The Jumbos have gone 8-0 at home this season, outscoring opposition on bello Field 148-51.
Game Details
Championship Website
vs. No. 7 seed Bates College (7-8, 3-7 NESCAC)
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 12 p.m.
Location: Medford, Massachusetts - Bello Field
Live Coverage:
Live Stats -
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Tufts vs. Bates All-Time
The Jumbos have held a decided edge in the all-time series with the Bobcats, going 35-2 since 1978 while having won the past 11 contests dating back to 2013. The Jumbos are 17-0 all-time at home against Bates College, and knocked off the Bobcats 18-6 back on April 9 up in Lewiston. The teams have never met in the NESCAC Tournament before. Tufts has held Bates to six or fewer goals in the last seven meetings.
A Look at the Jumbos (14-1, 9-1 NESCAC)
The Jumbos come to town ranked No. 2 in the most recent Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Top 25 poll, and will serve as the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC Tournament after a 9-1 regular season league mark. The Jumbos have the NESCAC's highest scoring margin this season with a 10.5 clip, allowing the second-fewest goals in the conference with 105 while potting a NESCAC-high 262 goal. Tufts leads the league in goals, assists, points and shots per game, while also ranking first in turnovers committed with just 11.80 per game. That clip is nearly three turnovers less than the next closest team, Middlebury, at 14.87 per contest. The Jumbos also pace the NESCAC in draw controls per game with 17.00.
Individually, the Jumbos are paced by a potent and balanced scoring attack as the Jumbos have three players in the top 14 in scoring. Junior
Allie Zorn is third in the NESCAC in goals this season with 46, while senior
Margie Carden is sixth with 43 on the season. Zorn is second in the NESCAC in points per game, Carden is fifth and senior
Ella Lesperance ranks 10th in assists per game and 14th in points per game with 3.07. The depth is shown as six players have 20+ goals on the year, including 26 from
Madeline Delaney and 25 from
Caroline Conaghan, while 10 players have netted 10 or more goals. Senior
Kate Mastrobuono has been a huge spark off the bench, as she ranks third on the team in assists with 15.
Senior defender
Genna Gibbons has helped give the Jumbos a ton of extra possessions at the draw circle and on defense, as she leads the NESCAC in draw controls with 105. She is just seven draw wins shy of the single-season record of 112 by
Emma Joyce two years ago. Gibbons has also caused a team-high 17 turnovers this season, adding 18 ground balls.
Kathryn Fernandopulle returned mid-year and has been outstanding in her seven games, causing 10 turnovers, while
Caroline Cromwell and
Nicola Donlan have combined for 19 caused turnovers as well.
Senior
Pascale de Buren has stopped a stellar 53.1 percent of shots this season, making 104 saves in her 786 minutes of action. She ranks second in goals against average in the NESCAC, while her save percentage is third in the conference.
Tufts is in search of its third NESCAC title, having gone back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.
A Look at the Bobcats (7-8, 3-7 NESCAC)
The Bobcats are in the first year under new head coach Princess Zabel, and she has helped get Bates back into the NESCAC Tournament. Bates is coming off three losses to end the season, though all three were to Top 10 squads including No. 2 Tufts on April 9 and No. 3 Colby on Wednesday evening. Bates opened the season with a big 11-10 win over No. 25 Catholic, and also tallied big wins over Williams and Hamilton to secure its spot in the postseason.
Bates has been strong offensively this season, ranking sixth in total goals scored with 180 while its 6.20 assists per game is fourth-best in the NESCAC. The Bobcats are 10th in shots generated per game with 24.80, but they have the best shooting percentage in the conference as they've scored on 48.4 percent of shots attempts this season. Bates is seventh in draw controls on the year in the NESCAC, but ranks 11th in caused turnovers with just 123 on the season. Bates also does have the most turnovers this year, giving it away 276 times on the year.
Bates is paced by the 32 goals from Laci Raveis, while Caroline Taggart leads the NESCAC in assists per game with 1.85. Taggart is also sixth in points per game with 3.54, while Lucy Taylor is fifth in the league in assists with 24. Caroline Keating has also potted 23 goals, while Lauren Wong has scored 20 times as well. The Bobcats split time in goal with Raegan White and Molly Urbonas, as White is fifth in the league in save percentage with a 51.3 percent clip. White has played 548 minutes this season, while Urbonas has been between the pipes for 340 minutes.
Keating leads the Bobcats in draw controls per game with 3.73, also pacing Bates in caused turnovers with 18. Olivia Hall and Elsa Copeland have been steady defenders as well for the Bobcats, who are back in the conference tournament for the first time since 2019.
Other NESCAC Tournament Games Saturday
No. 8 Williams at No. 1 Middlebury - 12:00 p.m.
No. 6 Trinity at No. 3 Colby - 12:00 p.m.
No. 5 Wesleyan at No. 4 Amherst - 12:00 p.m.
--JUMBOS--
