Teams: Women's Lacrosse: Schedule & Results

JUMBOS EARN FIRST NESCAC WIN OF '08 AT WESLEYAN, 9-7

COLLEGE WOMEN'S LACROSSE FINAL SCORE
Tufts 9, Wesleyan (CT) 7

At Middletown, CT
Saturday, March 22, 2008

Game Box Score

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- The Tufts women's lacrosse team picked up its initial NESCAC victory with a 9-7 outcome at Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon. Wesleyan fell to 0-2 in NESCAC play as the Jumbos won for the 26th time in 31 all-time meetings with the Cardinals. Tufts is now 3-1 overall this year while Wesleyan stands 2-3.

As with the previous six meetings between these two teams, the game came down to the wire. Each game between Wesleyan and Tufts has been decided by three goals or less since 2002. Wesleyan captured a 12-9 victory in Medford, Mass. last year. This time Tufts used a four-goal burst during a six-minute span of the first half to get the upper hand in breaking away from a 2-2 tie. Junior Chrissie Attura (Yarmouth, ME) gave Tufts the lead for good at 16:10 of the first period, running off the right side for her fourth goal of the season. At 11:44, she did much the same, but added a spin to the middle to make it 4-2 for Tufts. Just 25 seconds later, the Jumbos made it 5-2 on junior Courtney Thomas' (Needham, MA) team-leading 13th goal of the year. Sophomore Emily Johnson (Yarmouth, ME) capped the rally at 10:12 with her eighth goal of the campaign with a good run on the right, switch of grip to the inside and shot over her head. The teams traded goals after that into a 7-3 halftime score.

Wesleyan got some momentum at the start of the second half when freshman Allie Lynch scored twice within 54 seconds, both on great feeds from junior Schuyler Swenson on the left side, to make it a 7-5 game with 26:21 to go. The teams played the next 10 minutes scoreless before Johnson netted her second goal of the game for Tufts and it proved to be the game-winner, making the score 8-5 at 16:18. Senior Sophia Kim completed a hat trick for Wesleyan at 9:11, again making it a two-goal game. Wesleyan had several possessions with a chance to cut it to a single-goal gap, but Tufts defended well and eventually added a key junior Maya Shoham (West Hartford, CT) goal at 4:55, her 11th this season. Sophomore Charlotte Hastings closed out the scoring for Wesleyan at 4:22 and again, the Cardinals had chances with the ball but could not capitalize. Wesleyan's last possession came with 41 seconds left after Tufts had run off more than a minute before being called for off-sides. Wesleyan lost the ball with 20 ticks to go and Tufts ran out the clock.

First-year Sara Bloom (Summit, NJ) was solid in goal for the Jumbos, making 12 saves. Attura and Johnson both added assists to their two goals each. Sophomore Alyssa Kopp (Hollis, NH) and first-year Lily Colahan (Rye, NH) were leaders defensively with five ground balls each. Kopp also caused three turnovers.

Wesleyan's Becky Dorey-Stein and goalie Rachel Stemerman also finished with five ground balls. Dorey-Stein caused seven turnovers and Stemerman made 10 saves.

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