The No. 16 Tufts women's lacrosse team had a strong showing over its three-game spring break stretch, winning its first two games and dropping the third to start the season 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the NESCAC. The Jumbos defeated Babson in an overtime thriller and handled Farmingdale State in an away matchup before falling to the No. 6 Colby Mules at home.
Tufts took on Babson on March 15 at the beginning of the break in a non-conference matchup at Bello Field. The Jumbos continued a trend of slow starts as the Beavers jumped out to a 4-1 lead following Tufts' freshman attackman Caroline Ross' first goal of the game.
Tufts managed to fight back to get within one goal after back-to-back scores by sophomore attackman Kali DiGate, but by halftime, the Babson lead was extended to 6-4. Forced into a position similar to their season-opener at Hamilton, the Tufts team knew they needed to climb back and catch up after starting with low energy.
We tend to sometimes start out flat and then have to fight back and dig ourselves out of a hole," junior midfielder Kate Applegate said. "And I think in this game we did that. We knew we could win, but it took time to execute it."
After halftime, goals from Applegate and junior attackman Gabby Horner tied the contest at six goals apiece, beginning a stretch in which the score was tied three more times, ending regulation 10-10. After controlling the draw in the first overtime period, Tufts was unable to convert, and junior goalie Tess Shapanka stopped a Babson shot right before the end of the first period of extra time to send the game into a second overtime.
Applegate was again able to win the opening draw, and this time, Tufts was able to capitalize on the opportunity. With 12 seconds left to play, Horner struck from the right side of the net to secure the 11-10 win for Tufts.
"It was obviously a great win for us, to win in overtime," senior co-captain and defenseman Meg Boland said. "That was only the second time in the game when we had a lead, when we won. It wasn't our best performance, but it definitely showed us pulling together to get the win."
Tufts then traveled to Long Island, N.Y., March 19 to take on Farmingdale State.
Unlike the previous game, the Jumbos commanded the tempo of this match, scoring eight goals in the first half and conceding only two. Sophomore midfielder Lindsey Walker scored three goals in the first before adding another goal and an assist in the second, while freshman midfielder Brigid Bowser scored four goals total, including back-to-back free-position attempts that put Tufts up 15-3 with 13:01 left to play.
Boland played phenomenally on the other half of the field, causing five turnovers and picking up seven groundballs in the 16-7 win.
The Jumbos then traveled back to Bello Field on Saturday to finish off their spring break campaign at home against Colby College. The No. 6 Mules proved to be too much for the Jumbos, pulling away in the second half to take the 14-9 win.
In this NESCAC matchup, the Jumbos came out with intensity in the first half but let the game slip away in the second.
"We played a great first half," Boland said. "It was the best we've played all season
