No. 3 Tufts women’s lacrosse closed out spring break with wins against Western Connecticut State University at home on Saturday and Endicott College away on Sunday. These victories marked a continuation of the team’s trademark high-margin victories, beating West Conn. 22–2 and Endicott 19–8.
“This weekend was a testament to the depth of our team and our ability to put together 60 minutes of Tufts lacrosse across the board and execute, no matter what position you were, whether that’s starting or coming off the bench,” junior midfielder Genna Gibbons said.
The weather on Saturday was a far cry from the warm temperatures typically enjoyed by spring-breakers. The Jumbos didn’t let the rainy weather on Bello Field bring down their energy, though.
“Saturday, we had some pretty tough terrain with the complete downpour,” Gibbons said. “The fact that we were able to continue to execute at a high level on offense was incredible, and just really goes to show that everyone came very prepared and ready to attack the day.”
The Jumbos started off strong, scoring the first four goals. Though West Conn. answered with a tally of its own near the end of the first quarter, the Tufts defense kept West Conn. away from the net for the majority of the game. Following their first quarter dominance, the Jumbos continued their high scoring, with goals coming from many different players. The Jumbos had 13 different scorers, demonstrating their offensive depth. Junior attacker Margie Carden reached 200 career points, and both Carden and sophomore attacker Allie Zorn scored three goals against West Conn.
On the defensive side, junior defender and midfielder Kathryn Fernandopulle picked up seven ground balls and caused four turnovers. It took strong playing across the field for Tufts to have an incredibly high-scoring offense while holding West Conn. to only two goals.
“Everyone stepped into their role, did a really good job and took everything they were asked to do seriously,” Gibbons explained. “[Everyone] came prepared and brought their best energy. The bench had a great energy and then when a lot of people on the bench went in, the starters brought great energy. All around, staying dialed and bringing the energy that the sideline gives to the on-field player is super important.”
After its huge win against West Conn., Tufts secured a second impressive victory against Endicott on Sunday. Tufts again scored consistently throughout the game. The scoring was led by junior attacker Kate Mastrobuono and senior midfielder Madeline Delaney, who each scored four goals.
These two wins mark the Jumbos’ eighth win of their undefeated season. Gibbons explained that the team’s hard work allows them to see this level of success.
“The amount of goals we’ve consistently put up for the past eight games doesn't come naturally,” Gibbons said. “Everyone is consistently pushing the bar higher and higher for themselves, which pushes the team to be in a better position to win, and take on the best opponents we can.”
Women’s lacrosse hopes to continue with their successful season, and Gibbons explained that their work ethic will help them do just that.
“No one is complacent. This momentum, we’re going to channel it and make sure that we bring it to every single game; 1-and-0 every day is something that our team preaches,” Gibbons said. “I think that is a foundational part of why we’ve been able to be as successful as we are. We take every opponent as seriously as the next one.”
Despite their success this weekend, the team knows there’s still more to work on. With their undefeated season and strong victories, it’s entirely possible to overlook mistakes, but the Jumbos have made it a priority to continue to improve throughout the season.
“Noticing things in games … so we’re not making the same mistakes over and over again is something that we want to continue to focus on,” senior midfielder Emma Joyce said.
Joyce explained that while she was proud of their overall performance, the Jumbos still have aspects of their game that they hope to clean up in their upcoming games. This space for improvement gives the team a chance to become an even more dominant force in the NESCAC and Division III lacrosse.
“We’re coming up with these great victories in a pretty dominant fashion, while also leaving with things we need to work on, so we know that the best version of us is yet to come,” Joyce said. “It’s really exciting to know that we’re still trying to find our best each and every day.”
These two games marked the end of non-conference play in the regular season. Starting next Saturday against Colby, Tufts will play the majority of their NESCAC games. Joyce explained that as one of the highest ranked teams in the NESCAC, the Jumbos will face stiff competition from other teams.
“It’s really exciting to go up against opponents that you know will give it their all against you,” Joyce said. “We have a huge target on our back; we’ve earned that and built that reputation and respect from other teams … teams are [going to] come gunning for us.”
Tufts lacrosse has confidence that the skills they’ve developed so far will help carry them through any challenges that may arise in the next seven games. The Jumbos are looking forward to proving themselves in the second half of their season, Joyce explained.
“Even though we’re going to be playing games that do matter more for our conference, [we know] that if we just keep doing what we've been doing, we’ll be able to continue putting up the same numbers and results coming forward,” Joyce said. “I think everyone’s just really excited about what’s to come.”
