The Cortland State Red Dragons came into Wednesday's game as the No. 4 team in Div. III women's lacrosse - and they left Medford with a 17-7 thumping of the overmatched Jumbos.
Cortland State sophomore attacker Erica Geremia, arguably the best offensive player Tufts has faced all season, scored four goals and added two assists to bring her season points total to 21 in just three games.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we are the favorites to win the Div. III title this year, and we proved it here today," Geremia said. "My team is so good, and I see us finishing this season undefeated."
It is difficult to argue with Geremia, as the Red Dragons have won their first three games in a combined 42 goals. Tufts was Cortland State's most difficult opponent so far this year, given that the first two games finished that Cortland played ended with final scores of 20-4 and 22-6.
Senior co-captain Gabby Horner put Tufts on the board first, four minutes into the game. However, Cortland State sophomore goalkeeper Liz Ingalls was nearly flawless afterwards, allowing just two more goals in the following 26 minutes. Red Dragons sophomore midfielder Ashley Gentile scored her first goal one minute later, and the Jumbos never regained their lead.
Geremia assisted on the first goal, and then scored her own three minutes later to give Cortland State a 2-1 lead eight minutes into the game. The Red Dragons added two more goals in the next two minutes to increase the Jumbos deficit to three.
Sophomore attacker Caroline Ross, one of the few bright spots for Tufts, fired a shot just past Ingalls to cut Cortland State's lead to two at the 17-minute mark.
But after Ross's goal, the Red Dragons' potent offense stepped up, and blew by the Jumbos' defense for four consecutive goals in just over nine minutes. Junior goalkeeper Rachel Gallimore was under fire the entire first half, and after she allowed her eighth goal in the first 23 minutes of the game, Gallimore was benched until the start of the second half.
Ross' second goal of the first half made the score 8-3, before Cortland State struck again, this time from their sophomore midfielder Nicole Bello, who scored her first goal of the game on Gallimore's replacement, sophomore goalkeeper Emily Morton.
"The biggest key to our victory today was definitely finishing on more than 50 percent of our shots," Geremia said.
Cortland State's offensive and defensive aggression overwhelmed Tufts throughout the game. Two of Tufts' top-five point scorers this season, sophomore midfielder Brigid Bowser and junior midfielder Lindsey Walker, were scoreless.
"Our defense was definitely not as good as it normally is, and our attack did its job, we just need to put the ball in the back of the net," Walker said. "We had all those opportunities, we just couldn't finish on shooting."
The second half began with Gallimore back in the game, but junior attacker Marilyn Farrell, who also had three assists in the game, weaved through Tufts' porous defense to make the score 10-3.
After a few more goals were exchanged back and forth, junior attacker Kali DiGate and Ross each added their own goals, as they continued to carry the Jumbos' offense. But it was not enough against Ingalls, who proved to be the best goalkeeper Tufts faced this season. Many of her 13 saves came at crucial moments in the game, particularly off of Tufts' free position shots.
The game was not devoid of positives for Tufts, though. For one, the Jumbos managed 20 shots on goal, while Ingalls had only seen 14 shots on target in her first two games combined.
Moreover, the home team outplayed their opponents in numerous important statistical categories. The Jumbos took more shots, won more draws, and had a 70 percent clear rate. Tufts certainly has positives to build off.
"I think we are going to watch a lot of film before our game against Colby, see what our cracks are, definitely," Walker said. "Hopefully we can work on putting the ball in the back of the net. I think that sometimes the blowouts humble you, and they make you want to work harder, and show everyone that just because of that score, that's not who we are. We're ready for the next game."
