MEDFORD, MA (May 2, 2025) -- The No. 1 ranked Tufts University women's lacrosse team begins its quest for the Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship this weekend, on the road in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Jumbos kick off the tournament on Sunday at 1 pm. They will face the winner of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Scranton, who play at 1 pm on Saturday. This weekend's action will take place at Weiss Field, on the campus of the University of Scranton. The Jumbos are looking to keep it rolling after their 13-7 victory over Wesleyan University in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championship last weekend.
Game Details
Tournament Website
Tournament Bracket
Opponent: Winner of MIT/University of ScrantonÂ
Date: Sunday, May 11, 2025
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania - Weiss Field
Live Coverage: Live Stats - Live Video
Tufts vs. MIT and Scranton All-Time
The Jumbos have matched up with the neighboring MIT Engineers nine times between 2016 and 2025, and the Jumbos have taken all nine of those meetings. In those nine games, they have outscored MIT 161-63. Earlier this year, Tufts defeated MIT 19-3 on Bello Field. Allie Zorn led the Jumbos with 3 goals on the day, while 13 different Tufts players found the back of the net. The Jumbos have yet to face Scranton in their program history, and will do so for the first time if Scranton wins on Saturday.
A Look At The No. 1 Jumbos (17-1, 9-1 NESCAC)Â
As the nation's top seed, the Jumbos head into Sunday with lots of excitement. They make their tenth NCAA tournament appearance and are in search of their first national championship. Tufts goes on the road for the second consecutive weekend as they head to Pennsylvania. In NESCAC tournament action, they outscored opponents 63-19, highlighted by their 23-3 quarterfinal win over Bates. 23 goals is their highest single-game total from this season, while their 20-goal margin of victory is also a season-best. The Jumbos won their semifinal and final matchups in Middlebury, Vermont, taking down Colby in the semifinals and Wesleyan in the championship.
Six of the Jumbos' leaders were honored with All-NESCAC recognition earlier this week. Genna Gibbons, Margie Carden, Allie Zorn, and Madeline Delaney earned All-NESCAC First Team honors, while Emma Joyce and Ella Lesperance were named to the All-NESCAC Second Team. Additionally, Margie Carden was named the NESCAC Player of the Week and IWLCA National Offensive Player of the Week, after scoring 10 goals in two games last weekend.Â
While Carden has certainly been a force on offense this season, it's been a combined attack. Carden leads with 55 goals, followed by 53 from Allie Zorn, who also has a team-leading 73 points. Zorn's 4.06 points per game is good for second in the NESCAC, with Carden following at third. Ella Lesperance has contributed 63 points to the Jumbos' attack as well, with 30 goals and a team-leading 33 assists. The Jumbos have 11 players with double-digit goals on the year.Â
As a team, Tufts has been an offensive force, scoring 17.56 goals per game. That is good for first in the NESCAC and sixth in the country. Tufts has shown poise in maintaining possession this year, as their 217 turnovers are the fewest in the NESCAC. Meanwhile, they have caused 174 turnovers, good for third in the conference. Tufts has also been dominant on draws, controlling 62%, top-20 in the nation. Their 6.89 goals per game allowed on defense also ranks highly, at 14 across the country. The defensive effort has been led by Pascale de Buren, who has started all 18 games between the posts, saving 52% of shots faced.
For Tufts, this weekend marks the start of their quest for the National Crown. They lost in double overtime in the quarterfinals last year to Franklin and Marshall College. In 2021 and 2022, they were the national runner-up, falling to Salisbury in 2021 and Middlebury in the championship in 2022. In her 12th season as head Coach, Courtney Shute looks to take this team one step further.
The Rest of the Field
University of Scranton (14-5, 9-0 Landmark Conference)Â
The hosts this weekend, the Royals of the University of Scranton, are having an impressive season. After a 0-4 start to the year, they've won 14 of their last 15, including 12 straight. They went undefeated in conference play, winning every game by at least 10 goals. They then defeated Susquehanna University and Catholic University, both by the score of 16-6, to take home their third consecutive Landmark Conference Championship. Scanton's offense has been led by a core group of players. Grace Lane leads the way with 47 goals, followed by Jillian Lopez with 46. Erin Reich and Hewitt Eileen are tied for team lead with 65 points, and both have over 30 goals and assists. As a team, they are averaging 14.8 goals per game while conceding 7.8. Their defense has been grounded by Eva Guerino, who has started 13 games in goal, allowing 6.5 goals per game while saving 55% of shots faced. Scranton is aiming to make a tournament run after a second-round exit last season.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (13-7, 9-1 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC))
The Engineers of MIT enter today on a seven-game win streak that includes their run in the NEWMAC tournament. After finishing the regular a 14-13 overtime loss to Babson College on April 9th, they won their final four regular-season games, beat Salve Regina University and Springfield College in the first two rounds of their conference tournament, and earned a championship rematch with Babson. They got their revenge, winning 16-6 to capture their first conference victory since 2023. Offensively, they are led by Annica Lam, with 66 goals, and Ashley Thomas, with 113 points. Thomas's 5.65 goals per game were good for first in the NEWMAC, while Lam's 3.39 goals per game placed second in the conference. As a team, they've been impressive on draws, winning 59%, led by Gwen Flusche, who has 94 draw controls. They've gotten to this point with a stellar offense that has scored 311 goals, the most in the NEWMAC. Pauline Vien has started all 20 games in net for the engineers, allowing 9.17 goals per game while stopping 52% of shots. If MIT advances to Sunday, they will be looking to avenge their 19-3 loss to Tufts this past March.
Weekend Schedule
Saturday, May 10 - First Round
1 PM - MIT vs. Scranton
Sunday, May 11 - Second Round
1 PM - Tufts vs Saturday Winner
--JUMBOS--
