MEDFORD, MA (March 1, 2025) -- The No. 2 Tufts University women's lacrosse squad never trailed Saturday afternoon, starting the 2025 season with an 18-7 win over visiting Connecticut College in league action from Bello Field.
The Jumbos (1-0) posted their fourth straight season-opening win on Saturday, while moving to 1-0 in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play for the third straight season. The beginning of the first quarter was back and forth, but Conn. College goalkeeper Ava Virga made multiple saves to keep the game scoreless. Tufts got onto the board first with 8:09 left in the opening stanza thanks to an
Ella Lesperance unassisted tally, starting a 3-0 run for the Jumbos which included two woman-down goals.
Connecticut College responded with two goals before the end of the first quarter to make it 3-2 Tufts after the opening frame. Tufts and Conn. College exchanged goals until Lesperance scored a woman-up goal followed by an
Emma Joyce score with 17 seconds to play in the first half to make it 7-4 at the half.
After the break, CC scored the first goal of the second half but Tufts would come right back with three straight scores as senior
Kate Mastrobuono scored and then set up
Margie Carden's second goal of the day to make it 10-5.
The Camels scored the first goal of the fourth quarter, but the Jumbos would finish strong with seven straight tallies including three from junior
Allie Zorn to pull away for the win.
Tufts had four players with four points on the day, led by the three goals and one assist each from Lesperance and Zorn. Joyce led all played for the Jumbos with four goals on five shots, and Mastrobuono came off the bench to score once while leading the Jumbos with three helpers.
Senior
Caroline Conaghan had three points on a goal and two assists, and
Elsa Schutt and Carden each had two scores apiece. Graduate student
Madeline Delaney had one goal and five draw controls, while
Genna Gibbons led the team with seven draw controls and two ground balls. Sophomore
Grace Hammond and graduate student
Nicola Sommers each posted two caused turnovers, and
Nicola Donlan added two ground balls and a caused turnovers.
Tufts goalkeeper
Pascale de Buren had five saves for the Jumbos, as the Jumbos outshot their visitors 42-16 on the day, while adding a 17-11 edge in draw controls.
Conn. College was paced by three goals from Kate Coughlin while Emma Oghibene had two goals as well. Virga finished with 13 saves for the Camels.
The Jumbos are right back into action Sunday afternoon on the road, taking on Roger Williams University down in Bristol, RI at 1 p.m. in non-conference play.
--JUMBOS--
