It was a day that the Class of 2025 had long been waiting for. Their coronation as one of the winningest classes in Tufts program history was on full display, along with their other accomplishments: a NESCAC title, three NCAA Elite Eight appearances and six All-American nods. On a picture-perfect April afternoon, it looked almost too easy for the Jumbos.
From the opening draw, the Jumbos quickly learned that the Mammoths were not going to sit back and hand them a victory. Amherst got out on the front almost immediately, scoring three goals within the first four minutes of the game to give Tufts its worst start to a game all season.
Senior attacker Margie Carden credited the Jumbos’ slow start to the senior day events. “I just don’t think we were in the present moment. There were a lot of festivities going on, a lot of distractions,” she said. Recognizing the lack of focus from her team, head coach Courtney Shute called a quick timeout, allowing her team to refocus, which flipped the game on its head almost immediately.
Out of the timeout, it would be graduate student captain Madeline Delaney who earned a free position attempt and converted it, before the Jumbos’ leading scorer, junior attacker Allie Zorn, scored just minutes later to cut the deficit to one. With three minutes left in the quarter, Zorn would tie the game on her own free position goal before setting up sophomore midfielder Grace Hammond to give the Jumbos a 4–3 lead, one they would not relinquish. The run would continue into the second quarter with Zorn grabbing two more before the Mammoths could respond, pushing her tally to 42 on the season.
Amherst would keep the game competitive through most of the second quarter, possessing the ball while trailing 8–6 with 30 seconds left in the half before Tufts showed why it is the No. 2 team in the country. A pass from Amherst first-year goalkeeper Lily Samoska was knocked down by Tufts’ senior midfielder Genna Gibbons, who went one-on-one with the Amherst first-year and beat her short side. After Gibbons won the ensuing draw, a pass was worked around to senior attacker Kate Mastrobuono, who got in on the goal brigade with a laser to the near side. Then, as the clock hit zero in the first half, a pass attempt from sophomore midfielder Schuyler Lloyd ended up in the Amherst net to everyone’s surprise, giving Tufts a five-goal halftime lead.
Coming out of the half, it would be more of the same from the Jumbos, who recorded the first four goals of the second half to push their lead to nine, backed by Carden completing her hat trick. Though the Mammoths would get a goal from Bridget Finley to stop the Jumbo run at 8–0, it would prove insignificant as the Jumbos’ offense would keep on pouring. A fourth on the day for Carden ended her contributions, as it would be sophomore attacker Sophia Claps who would show out in the fourth quarter, recording a hat trick despite only playing the last twenty minutes. As Claps finished her hat trick by providing the Jumbos’ 20th goal of the day, it recorded another piece of history for the Class of 2025. It was the first time in the 44-game history of the Tufts-Amherst matchup that a team had scored 20 goals. They were also the first class to win this matchup by a double-digit margin since 1989, ultimately giving Amherst its worst loss of the season.
Due to the lopsided nature of the game, head coach Shute was able to secure playing time for all 13 seniors on the roster. Gibbons continued her season as the draw specialist with nine draw controls, bringing her total to 97 on the season. Carden led all scorers with four goals and an assist, bringing her program record total points to 294.
The win felt especially important for the team because of the senior day festivities. “It was so special. From the moment we walked into the locker room, we had a lot of energy. … [It was] a little rocky in the beginning, but just leaning into what we know, leaning into each other and bringing the energy. It was a fantastic day, and I know in the past, sometimes we’ve struggled with Amherst, so this meant a lot to us,” Carden said.
With the NESCAC playoffs beginning on Bello Field Saturday, a number on a banner could be just weeks away.
