The No. 16 Tufts women's lacrosse team had a strong showing over its three-game spring break stretch, winning its first two games and dropping the third to start the season 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the NESCAC. The Jumbos defeated Babson in an overtime thriller and handled Farmingdale State in an away matchup before falling to the No. 6 Colby Mules at home.
Tufts took on Babson on March 15 at the beginning of the break in a non-conference matchup at Bello Field. The Jumbos continued a trend of slow starts as the Beavers jumped out to a 4-1 lead following Tufts' freshman attackman Caroline Ross' first goal of the game.
Tufts managed to fight back to get within one goal after back-to-back scores by sophomore attackman Kali DiGate, but by halftime, the Babson lead was extended to 6-4. Forced into a position similar to their season-opener at Hamilton, the Tufts team knew they needed to climb back and catch up after starting with low energy.
"We tend to sometimes start out flat and then have to fight back and dig ourselves out of a hole," junior midfielder Kate Applegate said. "And I think in this game we did that. We knew we could win, but it took time to execute it."
After halftime, goals from Applegate and junior attackman Gabby Horner tied the contest at six goals apiece, beginning a stretch in which the score was tied three more times, ending regulation 10-10. After controlling the draw in the first overtime period, Tufts was unable to convert, and junior goalie Tess Shapanka stopped a Babson shot right before the end of the first period of extra time to send the game into a second overtime.
Applegate was again able to win the opening draw, and this time, Tufts was able to capitalize on the opportunity. With 12 seconds left to play, Horner struck from the right side of the net to secure the 11-10 win for Tufts.
"It was obviously a great win for us, to win in overtime," senior co-captain and defenseman Meg Boland said. "That was only the second time in the game when we had a lead, when we won. It wasn't our best performance, but it definitely showed us pulling together to get the win."
Tufts then traveled to Long Island, N.Y., March 19 to take on Farmingdale State.
Unlike the previous game, the Jumbos commanded the tempo of this match, scoring eight goals in the first half and conceding only two. Sophomore midfielder Lindsey Walker scored three goals in the first before adding another goal and an assist in the second, while freshman midfielder Brigid Bowser scored four goals total, including back-to-back free-position attempts that put Tufts up 15-3 with 13:01 left to play.
Boland played phenomenally on the other half of the field, causing five turnovers and picking up seven groundballs in the 16-7 win.
The Jumbos then traveled back to Bello Field on Saturday to finish off their spring break campaign at home against Colby College. The No. 6 Mules proved to be too much for the Jumbos, pulling away in the second half to take the 14-9 win.
In this NESCAC matchup, the Jumbos came out with intensity in the first half but let the game slip away in the second.
"We played a great first half," Boland said. "It was the best we've played all season; we were right with them. In the second half, we were our biggest opponent. We couldn't get the ball to the midfield. The attack converted balls into goals, but not until late. We just couldn't come through and figure out how to stop their dominant attack. We handed them the win in the second half."
In the first, Tufts had a 3-2 lead at the 15:34 mark when Ross scored her second of five on a free-position goal. Although Colby struck back with three goals of its own before the midway point, Ross scored with 38 seconds left in the half to hold onto the 5-4 lead going into the break.
The second half, however, was a different story. Colby blew open its lead with five goals before the 15:37 mark, though junior Eliza Halmo managed to interrupt the Colby onslaught with a goal of her own. But by the 4:05 mark, the Mules had tallied four more goals to push the lead to 14-6. Tufts was able to pull together three more goals in the remaining time, including two more from Ross, but fell short, 14-9, in the end.
"Lacrosse is a game of runs - who has the ball, and who has the momentum," Applegate said. "Colby went on a huge run, it was five goals. We were down by one and then down by five all the sudden, so that's tough. At that point we really had to change around defense and make substitutions. It was tough from that point on."
Tufts will next play Endicott College Thursday at home before moving on to the meat of their NESCAC schedule. The team will have a three-game road stretch starting in Hartford, Conn. with the No. 1 Trinity Bantams Saturday, followed by a trip to Williams and then to No. 4 Middlebury.
So far, the NESCAC matchups have given the Jumbos some cause for concern, as they sit 1-2 in the conference in eighth place. Seven of the top 20 teams in the country play in the NESCAC, making the upcoming games challenging and an opportunity to prove themselves going forward.
"We're very positive and know what we're capable of," Boland said. "There is high energy. We have great out-of-conference wins and a great win against Conn. College. Coming into this stretch of top-tier games, we're positive we will learn from Colby. It's time to step up the game, so the next couple of practices are really important for us."
