This past weekend, the Tufts women’s lacrosse team had a busy weekend on Bello Field with a 15–5 victory over NESCAC opponent Trinity College on Saturday and a 20–1 non-conference win over Colorado College on Sunday.
Saturday was Tufts’ third NESCAC game, going in with a 1–1 conference record. The Jumbos were determined to get another tally in the win column, coming out strong against the Bantams by winning the first draw control and getting early looks at the cage, despite none of them finding the net. The first few minutes of the game foreshadowed what was ahead, as Tufts dominated possession by winning 15 of 20 draw controls.
After almost five minutes of play, junior midfielder Schuyler Lloyd got the ball through traffic to senior attacker Allie Zorn who was able to put it in the back of the net for the first goal of the game. About a minute later, Trinity was able to tie the score 2–2 at the end of the first period.
The Jumbos started the second quarter with possession and they used the 15 minutes to pull away. Zorn scored another goal 20 seconds in; however, it was matched soon after by Trinity. Tufts responded quickly with a goal by junior midfielder Grace Hammond, assisted by first-year attacker Eleanor Helm. Helm played the quarterback role once again, getting the ball to junior attacker Sophia Claps who scored to extend the Jumbos’ lead. A few minutes later the Bantams scored their last goal of the half, bringing the score to 5–4 in favor of the Jumbos. Tufts proceeded to execute an 8–0 run that lasted the remainder of the second quarter and the whole of the third.
During this run, Zorn earned two more goals, Claps earned three, Lloyd earned two and first-year midfielder Marlo Stuart put in one. The Tufts defense also remained impenetrable as the team limited Trinity’s shots and possession time, and sophomore goalkeeper Devon Chipman made three saves during the second and third quarters.
In the final frame, Trinity was able to score one more goal early on, their last goal of the game. Trinity’s defense seemed rejuvenated and was able to hold Tufts off from scoring until the final two minutes when sophomore midfielder Ava Olender and sophomore attacker Anna Mollahan were able to put two more in to make the final score of 15–5.
Less than 24 hours later, the Jumbos returned to Bello Field to take on the Colorado College Tigers for their annual Pride Game. Tufts was still hungry and looking to play to the best of their ability once again. With a similar draw control statistic, the Jumbos won 15 of 21 face offs and dominated shots on goal 23–7. Tufts’ ride on Colorado as they tried to bring the ball up the field was phenomenal, creating more possession for the Jumbos.
About five minutes into the game, sophomore midfielder Neta Leschly opened up the scoring for the day as Hammond got the ball to her in front of the goal. This was the start of a 9–0 run which extended into the first half of the second quarter with goals from senior midfielder Kate Deehan, Lloyd, Zorn, Helm, Mollahan and senior midfielder Elsa Schutt. The goal from Colorado that broke Tufts’ run was the team’s lone goal of the game.
Tufts reignited their scoring immediately after, making the score 12–1 at halftime. The team used the second half of the game to show the depth of their bench, putting junior goalkeeper Sophie Powless in goal and showcasing some newer faces. Tufts had eleven goalscorers in the game. Lloyd, sophomore attacker Esme Coes and first-year attacker Sonja Keneally each earned a hat-trick, with Coes’ third goal coming from a successfully-executed behind-the-back shot. Leschley and Zorn scored two goals each, while Deehan, Stuart, Mollahan, Helm, Schutt, first-year attacker Amelia Sousa and first-year midfielder Aynalie Charron each scored one goal.
The score not only demonstrates Tufts’ incredible attacking ability but also the team’s composed and ferocious defense. The Jumbos caused six turnovers, three of which were thanks to sophomore defender Annie Bergeron and two by senior defender Nicola Donlan. The defense limited the Tigers to 12 shots, seven of which were on goal and all but one were denied by the Jumbos’ goalkeepers.
The Jumbos finished the weekend with 35 total goals, 12 different goal scorers and 16 total goalkeeper saves: Chipman with 10 saves against the Bantams and two against the Tigers and Powless with four in her appearance against the Tigers.
“Our focus was to bring the same exact energy to both games, and to keep working together and playing our game no matter who the other opponent was,” Claps wrote in an email to the Daily. “These two wins taught us a lot about playing consistently with back to back games and preparing us for this situation later in the season.”
Tufts will look to continue its five-game win streak when taking on its No.1 NESCAC rival, the undefeated Middlebury College on Saturday. This will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA national championship game in which the Jumbos narrowly lost 10–9. Saturday’s game is Scooter’s Game, played in honor of their former teammate Madie Nicpon.
