There is something about facing an out-of-conference opponent that brings out the best in the women's lacrosse team.
Behind a 10-point performance by senior attack Sarah Williams, the nationally ranked No. 20 Jumbos scored a 17-7 wipeout of Endicott yesterday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. Now 6-3 on the season, Tufts has now outscored its opponents 74-22 in four non-conference games this season.
Coming into the game with 23 points on the year, Williams had herself one of the best single-game performances in program history, tallying four goals and six assists to lead the Tufts cause. In the process, she became the first Jumbo to reach double digits in scoring since the team's all-time leading scorer Rebecca Black (LA '96) recorded 10 points against Wheaton on April 2, 1996.
Trailing 4-2 at the 16:09 mark of the first half, Tufts took command of the game with a run that saw the team notch 11 of the next 12 goals scored. Williams had a hand in six of those tallies, while freshman NESCAC Player of the Week Amanda Roberts, sophomore Emily Johnson and junior Chrissie Attura combined for seven goals during the stretch.
Tufts will next carry a three-game winning streak into a crucial NESCAC matchup at Bowdoin tomorrow afternoon.
Currently tied with Colby for fifth in the conference, the Jumbos will look to separate themselves in a tight race in the standings. Heading into tomorrow's play, only one game separates fourth-place Wesleyan from a pair of seventh-place squads, Bates and Bowdoin.
