MIDDLEBURY, VT (April 12, 2025) -- In a battle of the two best teams in Division III women's lacrosse, No. 1 Middlebury College was able to fend off a late rally by the No. 2 Tufts University women's lacrosse team to capture a 16-15 win over the Jumbos in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) play from Peter Kohn Field.
The contest looked to be out of reach for the Jumbos (13-1, 7-1 NESCAC) late in the game after Middlebury scored two straight early in the fourth quarter to make it 15-10 with 11:58 to play. Tufts would start a rally to get back into the game with just under 10 minutes left, as
Ella Lesperance scored from
Madeline Delaney to make it 15-11. Two minutes later,
Kate Mastrobuono scored an unassisted goal and then set up
Margie Carden for a person-up goal to make it 15-13 with 5:42 to play.
The Jumbos pulled to within one at 15-14 with 3:54 to go after Delaney scored unassisted after a nice save from
Pascale de Buren and ground ball by
Kathryn Fernandopulle. On the ensuing draw, Middlebury's Caroline Adams earned the draw control and then scored falling down to up the Panther's lead to two at 16-14.
Tufts refused to go away, as forcing a turnover and getting the ball back with a minute to play. After a timeout,
Margie Carden netted a goal from
Emma Joyce to make it 16-15 with 25 seconds to play. The Jumbos would take a timeout after the goal, but Hope Shue won the next draw and ran out the clock to clinch the win and keep Middlebury unblemished at 13-0 and 8-0 in the NESCAC.
The first half was back and forth, as Tufts trailed 4-2 in the first quarter before powering back to take a 7-5 lead with 6:52 to play in the second frame after a Carden goal. Middlebury netted five straight goals to take a 10-7 edge, and the two teams exchanged goals until the comeback attempt by the Jumbos in the fourth.
Carden posted a season-high five goals on a team-high 10 shots, as she inched closer to the 300-point mark as she finished Saturday with 289. Delaney tallied three goals to go with an assist and six draw controls, while Lesperance had three points on two goals and an assist. Junior
Allie Zorn scored on all three of her shots Saturday, and Mastrobuono came off the bench to record three points on two goals and an assist.
Joyce finished with two ground ball and a team-high two caused turnovers, and Fernandopulle also had three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Genna Gibbons picked up five draw wins as well, though Middlebury held a slight 20-15 edge in that category. Tufts was outshot 32-30, but had a small edge in ground balls, 17-15. Tufts also got 11 saves from de Buren in net.
Shue led all players with eight points (4G, 4A) and a career-high 10 draw controls for the Panthers, who upped their win streak to 64 straight games.
Tufts battles Amherst College Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m. for Senior Day on Bello Field in NESCAC action.
--JUMBOS--
