Teams: Women's Lacrosse: Schedule & Results

SIX-GAME WINNING STREAK ENDS FOR WOMEN'S LACROSSE AT #8 AMHERST

COLLEGE WOMEN'S LACROSSE FINAL SCORE
Amherst 14, Tufts 7

At Amherst, MA
Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Game Box Score

Sophomore Jenna Abelli was an offensive leader for Tufts with two goals and an assist

AMHERST -- The 9th-ranked Amherst College womens lacrosse team defeated #16 Tufts University Jumbos by a score of 14-7 on Tuesday evening at Goodling Field. With the win, the Lord Jeffs clinched the #2 seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament, and will host a first round game on Sunday against an opponent to still be determined. Tufts still hopes to gain a first-round home game.

Amherst jumped out of the gate once again this evening, scoring the first two goals of the game in just over two and a half minutes of action. First-year Kelly Trapp (Monterey, CA) and junior Mary Noonan (West Roxbury, MA) picked up the goals. Tufts responded with a pair of consecutive scores to tie the game at 2-2, with an unassisted goal from Alyssa Corbett (Malvern, PA) before a Sarah Williams (Bethesda, MD) tally.

The Lord Jeffs answered back with a three-goal spurt of their own, with Trapp and Noonan right in the thick of things once again. Trapp scored her second and third goals during the stretch, while Noonan dished out a pair of assists. After one more Tufts goal at the 11:36 mark, Amherst ended the first half with four straight goals to head into the break leading 9-3. The final Jumbo score of the first frame came after Amherst goalie Linda McEvoy (Rochester, NY) was caught out of the net after stealing a pass. With a quick foul, McEvoy was frozen out of the cage, allowing Williams to hit a wide open Emily Johnson (Yarmouth, ME) on the crease for the score.

Highlights of the first half for Amherst included a goal from points-leader Amy Craig (Denver, CO) at the 12-second mark to increase the lead to five. While it looked as though that would be the halftime margin, Amherst won the ensuing draw control, and handed the ball off to Noonan to do the rest. The junior midfielder carried the ball 30 yards past a Tufts defender and ripped a shot into the upper corner with just 0.1 seconds showing on the clock.

The Jeffs came out firing in the second half once again, rolling off the first four goals of the second frame to increase the consecutive goal stretch to eight, before the Jumbos Chrissie Attura (Yarmouth, ME) scored her first of the night. Tufts tried to make a valiant comeback effort over the final third of play, scoring four of the games final five goals to end with a 14-7 result. The hard work of Tufts showed in the ground ball battle, which the Jumbos won 23-22. Amherst held a 27-16 edge in shots, and took 14 of 21 draw controls.

Noonan led all players with a game-high five goals and two assists, while Trapp had a hat-trick to go along with her one assist. In the last four games, the pair has scored 26 points combined. Williams and Jenna Abelli (Framingham, MA) paced Tufts with a combined four goals and two assists.

McEvoy finished the game with six saves, while Tufts first-year Sara Bloom (Summit, NJ) made nine stops in net for the Jumbos. Tufts finishes the regular season on Saturday at first-place Middlebury College. Amherst will close the regular season at Colby on Saturday.

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