On Saturday, women’s lacrosse stepped onto Bello Field to take on a dangerous conference opponent in No. 13 Hamilton College. The Jumbos flattened the Continentals in a 21–4 victory, and the seniors shined while their families cheered in the stands on Senior Day. Senior goalie Molly Laliberty spoke about what this win meant to the graduating class.
“The way that everybody played together, as a team, I think that’s a true testament to what we want for this team as a senior class and what we hope we can leave an impact on this program,” Laliberty said.
Hamilton struck first under a minute into the game as Continental midfielder Alana King scored to put the away team on the board. First-year midfielder Genna Gibbons responded to tie things up, and the floodgates opened for Tufts as they scored five more goals throughout the first quarter while Hamilton only scored twice. Senior defender Madison Lehan scored an incredible free position shot as she weaved around defenders to find the back of the net with three minutes left in the first. The team’s scoring leader, first-year attacker Margie Carden, went on her usual tear by scoring a brace in the first quarter alone.
The second quarter was more of the same as Tufts scored five times while Hamilton scored once, bringing the total to 11–3 in favor of the Brown and Blue.Senior midfielder Anna Clarke streaked up and down the field for the entirety of the game, making great defensive plays and then connecting with the offensive side of the ball. Throughout the game, Laliberty lobbed on target passes to her midfielders and defenders that helped advance the ball constantly. Attacking quickly after making a defensive stop has become Laliberty’s signature move. Clearly, the offensive game plan has worked recently, as the Tufts offense has scored 43 goals and conceded four in their last two games. At one point, Lehan caught an incredible pass over the outstretched stick of a defender to complete a successful clearance. Laliberty commented on the chemistry it takes to make those kinds of impact plays.
“That’s not happening if we haven’t played together for this long, but I think a lot of the trust and stuff can come from everyday practice, making those like sellout gritty plays, even when it’s just like the end of a drill rather than the end of a big game,” Laliberty said.
The second half went along the same lines as Clarke, Carden, senior attacker Mae Briody, junior attacker Caroline Walter and senior midfielder Kathryn Delaney all scored to bring the Jumbos’ lead to 17–4. Defensively, Tufts worked hard to keep Hamilton from scoring for the entirety of the second half. Tufts scored four more goals in the fourth quarter to make the final score 21–4.
After a season with many ebbs and flows that included losses to Amherst, Colby and Middlebury, Tufts has bounced back to end their season strong and is looking to capitalize on their recent string of wins to carry them throughout the playoffs. They play their final game of the regular season against Bowdoin on Wednesday.
