MEDFORD, MA (May 12, 2024) -- The No. 4 Tufts University women's lacrosse team got their 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament underway on Sunday, shaking off a slow start to sprint past Cortland to pick up a 21-7 win on Bello Field in the NCAA Second Round.
With the victory, Tufts (15-3) will now take on Denison University in the NCAA Third Round at a site to be determined later Sunday evening. Cortland finishes its season 15-5.
The Red Dragons got out to a quick start with two goals over the first 2:03 as Toni Cashman and Amy Hoeffner scored to give the visitors the early advantage.
Caroline Conaghan opened the scoring for Tufts at the 8:19 mark of the first quarter, but Hoeffner came right back for her second of the day to make it 3-1 less than a minute later.
Senior
Emma Joyce would get the Jumbos going with two straight to tie the game at three, and Conaghan tallied a man-up goal at 3:25 to give Tufts its first lead of the day. Sophomore
Allie Zorn scored her first of many with the extra man 43 seconds later to make it 5-3 Tufts. Hoeffner would set up Isabel Adams with less than a minute to go in the frame to make it 5-4 after the first 15 minutes.
Tufts would take advantage of its first two possessions of the second quarter, as Conaghan and Zorn scored to put the Jumbos up 7-4 at 11:42. Cashman netted her 75th of the season at 9:11 of the second quarter, but four straight by Tufts pushed the hosts' lead up to five at 11-5. Hoeffner chalked up another for Cortland as the game went to half with the Jumbos up 11-6.
The third quarter would be all Tufts though, as the Jumbos outshot its guests 8-0 while forcing seven turnovers in the quarter. Tufts outscored Cortland 5-0 in the third quarter, putting the running clock in effect on the last of three third-quarter goals from Zorn to make it 16-6.
Senior
Alexa Amorosino started the fourth quarter with her ninth of the season, and first-year
Grace Hammond started a 4-0 run to end the game for Tufts including a tally by senior
Caroline Sapir to make it 21-7 with 22 seconds to play.
Tufts outshot Cortland 40-13 on the day, while forcing 15 turnovers by the Red Dragons. Early in the game, Cortland controlled the draw control circle but the insertion of sophomore
Elsa Schutt changed that around as Tufts finished with a 21-8 edge in the stat category. Tufts was also 5-for-10 at the free-position arc.
Zorn finished with a career-high six goals, scoring on three of her four free-position attempts.
Madeline Delaney had four points on two goals, two assists and two caused turnovers, and
Ella Lesperance tallied four points on three assists and a goal. Conaghan and Joyce each scored three times, and first-year
Schuyler Lloyd netted two goals as well.
Sophomore
Nicola Donlan had two caused turnovers in the contest, and junior
Kathryn Fernandopulle also posted two caused turnovers and four grounders. Senior defender
Nicola Sommers also picked up two grounders in the win, while Schutt posted a career-best nine draw controls in the win.
Pascale de Buren tallied five stops in the win for the Jumbos.
Hoeffner posted four goals and an assist, adding three draw controls, and Cashman scored twice as well for the Red Dragons. Margaret Morgan stopped 11 shots in net for Cortland.
--JUMBOS--
