NEW LONDON, CT (March 2, 2024) -- Junior
Ella Lesperance posted five points, while senior middie
Emma Joyce led the Jumbos with four goals as the No. 4 Tufts University women's lacrosse squad opened the 2024 campaign with a resounding 17-4 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) win over host Connecticut College in action from Silfen Field Saturday.
The Jumbos controlled the play from start to finish, dominating the shot totals 35-16 while forcing the host Camels (0-1, 0-1 NESCAC) into 14 turnovers for the game. Tufts wasted no time getting on the board, as sophomore
Kate Deehan finished the season's first possession with a goal off a helper from Lesperance to make the score 1-0. A minute later, Lesperance would set up Joyce for her first of the game to make the score 2-0 early.
Tufts would net the next two goals thanks to strikes from Joyce and
Caroline Cromwell, before an Aine Downey goal from Conn. College stopped the Tufts' run with 8:30 left in the opening stanza. On the next possession, Tufts forced a turnover and Joyce capitalized on the miscue from the Camels to make the score 5-1 going to the second quarter. The second stanza is where Tufts would pull away for good, as the visiting Jumbos chalked up a 6-0 edge in the period highlighted by the first collegiate goals for
Elsa Schutt,
Schuyler Lloyd and
Sophia Claps to make it 11-1 at the half.
After the intermission, Lesperance tallied her second of the game from
Allie Zorn with the man-advantage, and
Margie Carden scored her second of the game to compete the nine-goal run while giving Tufts a 13-1 edge. After Conn. College made the score 14-4 in the fourth, sophomore
Sadie Dodson netted her first collegiate goal, followed by back-to-back man-up goals by
Emma Yale on assists from first-years
Grace Hammond and
Magdalena Rieper to finish the scoring for the game.
Lesperance tied her career-high for points in a game with five on Saturday, as she added a ground ball and a caused turnover as well. Joyce netted four goals on four shots, picking up one draw control, and Carden finished with two goals and an assist, scoring on both of her free position attempts. In all, 16 players would total a point in the game for the Jumbos, while
Genna Gibbons added four draw controls in the win. Schutt also tallied two draw controls and two ground balls in addition to her score.
Junior
Pascale de Buren started and played three quarters for the Jumbos, getting the win while stopping six shots while allowing only four goals. First-year
Sophie Powless came into the game for the fourth, maintaining a clean quarter between the pipes.
Emma Ognibene scored three goals for the Camels in the loss, while Violette Nidds stopped 12 shots in her 60 minutes of action.
Tufts (1-0, 1-0 NESCAC) has a quick turnaround as it will return home to take on No. 8 Washington & Lee University at 2:30 p.m. on Bello Field Sunday afternoon.
--JUMBOS--
