MEDFORD, MA (April 26, 2025) -- The No. 2 ranked Tufts University women's lacrosse team, seeded No. 2 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament, scored a season-high 23 goals while 14 different players found the net in a 23-3 win in the NESCAC quarterfinals on Bello Field Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Tufts will now move onto the NESCAC semifinals to battle No. 3 seed Colby College, who defeated Trinity College 9-8 in Waterville, Maine. The Jumbos and Mules will play at top-seed Middlebury College next Saturday, May 3 at 3 p.m. at Peter Kohn Field in Middlebury, VT. Middlebury will host No. 5 Wesleyan, who knocked off No. 4 Amherst College 11-10 in double overtime, next Saturday at noon.
The Jumbos (15-1) wasted no time jumping out ahead, scoring 47 seconds into the game on an
Elsa Schutt goal. That would jump start a 9-1 run over the first 15 minutes, as the Jumbos netted the first nine goals capped by a strip steal and goal from senior
Kathryn Fernandopulle with 1:09 to go in the frame.
The second quarter mirrored the first, as Tufts came out quick and tallied the first two goals go get to a double-digit lead while taking a 15-2 edge into the intermission. Tufts would outscore 8-1 in the second half, including the first goals of the season by senior
Emma Yale and first-year
Esme Coes to highlight the victory.
Senior
Ella Lesperance finished with a game-high six points on two goals and four assists, while junior
Allie Zorn finished with a team-high four goals on four shots on goal. Zorn's four goals got her to 50 for the season.
Sophomore
Schuyler Lloyd tallied three goals, a draw win and caused turnover, while senior
Margie Carden had two goals and an assist. Coes netted her first multi-goal game with two scores in the fourth quarter, and
Madeline Delaney finished with two goals and six draw wins.
First-year
Anna Mollahan and senior
Maddy Charest each had two assists for the Jumbos, as 14 players scored in the victory.
Genna Gibbons had eight draw controls to lead the Jumbos, and Schutt finished with two draw controls, a goal and assist.
Tufts outshot Bates 47-13 for the game, including a 27-7 edge in shots on goal. The Jumbos forced Bates into a 14-for-25 clear rate, while earning a decided 22-6 win in draw controls. Tufts also was 5-for-12 in free-position shots, not allowing any free position opportunities. The 23 goals were the sixth-most ever at Tufts.
Bates got a pair of goals from Grace Cassin, while Laci Raveis had a goal and an assist in the loss. Caroline Keating added four ground balls as well for the Bobcats (6-8).
--JUMBOS--
