Jumbos off to best start in years

Coach Carol Rappoli says they're very young. Returners say they're only looking to see where they stand.

But no matter what anyone says, the women's lacrosse team is 4-0 on the season, and so far, "impressive" seems to be the best term to describe the Jumbos' play so far.

Tufts dropped Wellesley on March 18 by the score of 7-5, beat both Union and Western Connecticut during their training trip to Florida by the blowout margins of 14-6 and 16-6, respectively, and then returned home to win their home and league-opener over Trinity, 10-8, on Saturday in Medford at Kraft Field.

Saturday's victory over Trinity was probably the most rewarding, and certainly the most important, of the first four victories for the Jumbos. The win was Tufts' first league game of the year and could set a much-needed precedent for wins in league, something the Jumbos lacked last year after going 2-6 in the NESCAC.

Last season at this point, Tufts had won its first three match-ups, but failed in its first NESCAC conference game against the same Trinity Bantams, who, at that time, were ranked 16th in the nation.

"We're really psyched right now," sophomore attack Dena Miller said. "We have haven't beaten Trinity in five years, and winning our first NESCAC game is a great start to the season, as is going 4-0. We're a really young team and everyone has a lot of positive energy and is thrilled to be in the situation we're in."

On Saturday, junior midfielder Megan Doughty gave the Jumbos the boost they needed to stay undefeated, scoring four times and helping the Jumbos hold off a late second-half comeback by Trinity with three of her goals coming in the second frame. Her final goal came with 3:08 left to play and gave Tufts a 9-6 lead and all the scoring they would need to secure the victory.

Juniors Willow Hagge and Jen Griffin, sophomores Meredith Harris and Dena Miller, and freshmen Jackie Thomas and Danielle Vardaro all also scored once for the Jumbos. Hagge, the team's career scoring leader with 93 points, 64 of them coming on goals, also added a pair of assists.

The Jumbos were able to hold off a late Bantam charge in the second half, something the squad struggled with in NESCAC competition last season.

"Coming out strong for every half is a huge goal of the team's," Miller said. "We're really making a conscious effort to stay really confident throughout the game. Coach [Rappoli] has also really improved on her morale throughout the game, and its trickling down to the rest of the team."

Junior goalie Sarah Lipson, who notched the win and has all four victories for Tufts under her belt, helped the Jumbos by saving 11 shots.

Leading 4-3 at the half, Tufts briefly pulled away to start the third quarter, at one point leading 8-4 well into the second frame. Trinity refused to go quietly, however, netting two quick goals to close the gap to 8-6. Trinity also answered each of the Jumbos' next two goals with scores of their own. Trinity attack Lauren Malinowski scored with 1:09 remaining in the game to push the score to the final 10-8 margin.

With the win, Tufts gained its first victory over the Bantams in four years.

Earlier in the week, while many of their fellow Jumbos headed towards tropical climates to work on their tans, the Jumbos worked on dismantling opponents Union and Western Connecticut in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tufts, which won both games by a combined 30-12 margin, received votes in last week's national poll.

Tufts has had a four goal scorer in each of its games so far this year.

During Tufts' first match-up of the year against Wellesley, sophomore scoring-leader Miller notched four goals in a game that was played at Boston University thanks to the snow. She now has 10 goals on the season.

In Florida against Union, Doughty knocked four in for the first time this season, and against Western Connecticut Vardaro scored four as part of the 16-goal barrage.

The Jumbos used the trip to work out the kinks in both their offense and defense, and generally give their younger players more experience in college lacrosse.

"Our defense has been incredible, our zone is working together really well," Miller said. "We could use some work on our ground balls, our midfield connection, and defense in the midfield. We have a lot of returners on attack which is definitely positive, but even so there are always things to work on. Overall, we're playing really great as a team all over the field."

Tufts looks to continue its strong play when it heads to Maine tomorrow to face off against the NESCAC foe Bowdoin.