GENEVA, NY (May 20, 2023) -- The No. 5 Tufts University women's lacrosse squad met a familiar foe on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament at William Smith College, and the Jumbos were able to take the third meeting with No. 7 Wesleyan University 11-8 to advance to Sunday's NCAA Quarterfinals in action from Boswell Field in Urick Stadium on a rain-soaked day in upstate New York.
The Jumbos (16-4) were taking on the Cardinals for the third time in the last five weeks, as Wesleyan topped the Jumbos 14-10 back on April 15 before Tufts took the last two meetings including one in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) semifinals 13-11. All three games were nip and tuck the entire way, and that's how Saturday's contest script would play out as well.
Tufts wasted no time getting on the board on Saturday afternoon, as
Madeline Delaney corralled the opening draw control and eventually fired home her 25th goal of the season with help from sophomore
Margie Carden to make it 1-0 just 56 seconds into the game. Minutes later, first-year
Allie Zorn was fouled in the critical scoring area and converted on her free-position attempt to make it 2-0 not even two minutes into the game.
Wesleyan would battle right back though, as Molly Greer and Kate Balicki netted goals to finish the scoring in the opening stanza. The turning point in the victory for the Jumbos was the dominant second quarter that it would put on Wesleyan, outscoring their NESCAC foes 4-0 in the frame to take control.
Caroline Conaghan netted a free position shot to regain the lead for Tufts at 3-2, and
Emma Joyce tallied her 52nd goal of the year at 11:38 of the period to make it 4-2.
Tufts took its largest lead of four heading into the break as Carden tallied back-to-back goals in the final 3:18 of the period including a goal with 11 seconds left before halftime to make it 6-2.
After intermission, Wesleyan got a quick goal just 36 seconds into the half as Kiara Tangney tallied for the Cardinals to make it 6-3. The two squads would exchange goals the entire quarter before Gil Horst scored for the Cardinals to make it a 9-6 game going to the fourth. The back-and-forth then would continue into the final frame, as Carden scored to push the lead back up to four for Tufts with her 68th goal of the season at 9:25. Carden now sits just one goal shy of the single-season goal record at Tufts, set by her last year as a newcomer.
Wesleyan once again made it a three-goal game with five minutes to play, but a big insurance goal from
Ella Lesperance with just over 3:30 to play ensured that Tufts would continue on to Sunday's NCAA Quarterfinal in Geneva.
Carden finished with a team-high three goals, adding an assist and two draw controls, while Lesperance tallied a goal and two assists. Delaney posted a goal and an assist, and Joyce picked up two goals, three ground balls and two draw controls.
Courtney Kaufman added four ground balls and made seven saves between the pipes in the victory for the Jumbos.
Gil Horst and Balicki each finished with three points on two goals and an assist, as Bridget Horst totaled two goals and six draw controls for the Cardinals.
Wesleyan held a slight 25-24 shot edge on Saturday, while both teams put 15 shots on goal. Tufts were a little more efficient on clears with 19-of-21 to Wesleyan's 13-of-17, while the Cardinals edged Tufts in draw controls, 14-9.
Tufts will now take on host No. 3 William Smith College, who knocked off No. 19 St. John Fisher College 6-5 thanks to an unassisted goal with 2:10 to play from Maddie Montgomery. Tufts will be making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals on Sunday, as it looks to get back to the NCAA Final Four for the fourth consecutive season.
First draw with the Herons is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon in Geneva.
--JUMBOS--
