MEDFORD, MA (March 15, 2026) -- The No. 3 Tufts University women's lacrosse team built an early lead and never looked back as the Jumbos defeated No. 18 University of Chicago, 16-7, Sunday afternoon at Bello Field.
Tufts improved to 4-1 on the season while the Maroons fell to 4-2. The Jumbos used a balanced offensive effort along with strong defensive play and 12 saves from goalkeeper Devon Chipman to control the game from start to finish.
Tufts opened the scoring at the 13:20 mark of the first quarter when Kate Deehan finished a feed from Schuyler Lloyd for the first goal of the afternoon. Sophia Claps followed with back-to-back goals, including a man-down tally at 9:39 and a free-position goal at 7:16, pushing the Jumbos ahead 3-0. Chicago got on the board midway through the period when Coco Rigoli scored unassisted, but Tufts responded with goals from Allie Zorn and Deehan in the final minutes to take a 5-1 lead after one.
The Maroons closed the gap early in the second quarter as Caroline Steinwachs and Wynne Boggan scored to make it 5-3.
Tufts answered with one of its strongest stretches of the afternoon, scoring five straight goals. Neta Leschly sparked the run with consecutive tallies, including a free-position goal, while Eleanor Helm added a finish off a Leschly assist. Zorn then struck twice in nine seconds, including one set up by Marlo Stuart, extending the lead to 10-3. Chicago added a goal from Peyton McGuire late in the quarter, but Zorn completed her hat trick with three seconds remaining in the half on an assist from Anna Mollahan, giving Tufts an 11-4 halftime advantage.
Chicago attempted to rally in the third quarter as Steinwachs scored early and Boggan added two late goals, but Tufts continued to respond. Claps scored her third goal of the game at 12:13 and Lloyd added a free-position goal later in the quarter as the Jumbos maintained a 13-7 lead heading into the final period.
Tufts sealed the win in the fourth quarter with three more goals. Lloyd opened the scoring in the frame with an unassisted tally, Mollahan added another finish midway through the quarter, and Leschly capped the scoring with 34 seconds remaining to secure the 16-7 victory.
Zorn led the Tufts offense with four goals, while Claps and Leschly each scored three times. Lloyd finished with two goals and two assists, and Deehan added two goals and three draw controls.
The Jumbos were also strong defensively throughout the afternoon. Chipman recorded 12 saves in goal while the Tufts defense forced 10 caused turnovers. Annie Bergeron led the defensive effort with two caused turnovers and two ground balls, while Sophie Haas collected four ground balls and a caused turnover. First-year Mia Sommer and Stuart each had three draw controls for Tufts, while Elsa Schutt added two draw controls and two ground balls.Â
Tufts also edged Chicago on the ground, 22-21, and both teams finished with 13 draw controls.
Boggan led Chicago with three goals and an assist, while Steinwachs added two goals. Goalkeeper Lily Brill made 13 saves for the Maroons.
Tufts takes on No. 6 Gettysburg College Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Gettysburg, PA in a big Top 10 non-conference match-up.Â
--JUMBOS--
