MEDFORD, MA (November 1, 2025) – Junior
Reagan Malo scored her first two goals of the season today, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter, as the top-seeded Tufts University field hockey team advanced in the NESCAC Tournament with a 3-2 win over #8 seed Amherst College in the quarterfinals at Ounjian Field.
The Jumbos (14-2) will now host the conference semifinal and championship games next weekend (Nov. 8-9). Tufts will face #4 seed Wesleyan University in the semifinals on Saturday at 11:00 AM. The Cardinals defeated Williams College 2-1 in the quarterfinals today.
Amherst (8-8) will hope for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament when those are announced on November 9.
Tufts had taken a two-goal lead on Amherst 20 minutes into today's game, but the Mammoths scored twice three minutes apart to tie the game at 2-2 by halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, Malo took a feed from
Claire Casey during a Jumbo corner and potted the go-ahead goal two minutes into the fourth.
Not long after the goal, Amherst earned a corner and a shot by Emma Zhang was saved by Tufts keeper
Lydia Eastburn. The Mammoths would pull their goalkeeper for an extra player over the final four minutes, but the Jumbos were able to close out the victory without any drama.
Tufts had taken an early 1-0 lead on the 11th goal of the season by sophomore
Eleanor Helm. Malo had the assist, tapping a bouncing ball to Helm at the 23-meter line. Helm went into the left side of the circle and sliced a back-hander over the reach of the Amherst goalie just 3:23 into the action.
Malo then scored her first goal five minutes into the second quarter. Senior
Hannah Biccard sent a back-hand pass across the front of the goal to Malo, positioned at the right post, and she knocked it in for a 2-0 Tufts advantage.
The Jumbos seemed to be in control of the game, but that would change quickly. On an Amherst corner – the first corner of the game by either team – Genevieve Caruso poked in the rebound of her own shot with six minutes to play in the opening half.
Less than three minutes later, Amherst's Emily Huehn sent a long pass from behind her own 23-meter line all the way to Caroline Busler at the top of the Tufts circle. She got around two defenders to take a shot, which Eastburn got a piece of, though not enough, and it continued on into the goal to tie the score at 2-2.
In a game that saw just six corners overall, Tufts had three of them in the fourth quarter. Amherst keeper Grace Puchalski made an outstanding save on a blast by Casey during the first Jumbo corner of the period. However, the hosts would take the lead on their third corner of the frame not long after. The insert by
Lilly Ragusa went out to
Eleanor Luft. She sent the ball down to Casey in the middle of the circle, who then moved it on to Malo at the goal front. Malo won the ball, then turned and scored the eventual game-winner.
Shots finished 14-6 in favor of the Jumbos, while Tufts had a slim 4-2 edge on corners. Eastburn had three saves in the Tufts net. Amherst started Kate Grady in goal, but made a change 22 minutes in and Puchalski stopped two shots over the remainder of the contest.
--JUMBOS--
