HARTFORD, CT (November 21, 2025) – Tufts University field hockey team will play in the NCAA Championship Game for the second straight year and sixth time overall after defeating Christopher Newport University 1-0 today in the national semifinals at Trinity College.
Head coach
Tina Mattera's Jumbos (18-3) advance to the NCAA Final on Sunday at noon. Tufts will play the winner of Friday's second semifinal between Babson College and Johns Hopkins University.
Today Tufts eliminated a Christoper Newport (CNU) team that was undefeated entering the game and is ranked #1 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association national poll. The Captains close their season with a 19-1 record.
CNU had the first threat of the game today in the middle of the first quarter. On a penalty corner, a shot by Caroline Hughlett was saved by Tufts senior goalie
Lydia Eastburn. Lindsey Loar and Riley Iasiello both put follow-up shots on goal, but Tufts junior
Claire Casey made defensive saves on both to keep the game scoreless.
The Jumbos would get the game's only goal early in the second quarter. On a restart, Riley Pearson sent the ball back to
Gabby Sousa beyond the 23-meter line. She fired it into the middle of the circle where
Hannah Biccard controlled the ball. Biccard turned and sent a pass to the left side where
Lilly Ragusa was coming on. She got her stick on it and the shot went through the goalie's pads for a 1-0 Tufts lead with 12:24 on the clock.
Tufts had a great chance to extend their lead when they were awarded a penalty stroke late in the second period. However,
Hannah Murray didn't get all of the ball on her shot and CNU goalie Lily Kerr was able to slide right and make the save.
The Jumbos then just missed on a pair of shots in the third quarter. Starting at the 23-meter line, Murray nicely maneuvered around two Captain defenders and blasted a high shot that hit the post. Then with under two minutes to go in the quarter, a turn-around attempt by
Reagan Malo from the middle of the circle went just wide to the right.
CNU opened the fourth quarter with good offensive pressure. A shot by Hughlett from the deep on the right side of the circle was kicked away by Eastburn. Hughlett got her own rebound and earned a corner, on which she took another shot that was blocked.
The Tufts defense would not allow another shot attempt by the Captains and closed down the victory to send the team to another national championship game.
The shutout was the Tufts' seventh of the season and the 13th of Eastburn's career, as she turned away the two shots she faced. Kerr had three saves for CNU. A tightly-contested game for the most part, Tufts had an 8-5 advantage in shots and corner chances were tied 3-3.
--JUMBOS--
