Wheaton opens northern slate with 15-7 loss at nationally-ranked Tufts

March 20, 2007

MEDFORD, MA- The Wheaton College women's lacrosse team opened its northern slate with a 15-7 loss to nationally-ranked Tufts University Tuesday, as the Lyons and Jumbos played at Tufts' Bello Field after Wheaton's grass field was deemed unplayable due to inclement weather. The Lyons fall to 0-4 overall, while the Jumbos, ranked 18th in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll, move to 2-1.

Wheaton's only lead took place in the first four minutes of play, as freshman Brittany King (Georgetown, MA/Proctor Academy) tallied for the fourth straight game to give the Lyons a 1-0 edge. The Jumbos then rattled off five unanswered goals during a 5:29 span, with sophomore Chrissie Attura (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) assisting on three of the tallies. Senior Lauren Murphy (Hingham, MA/Hingham) scored twice, while junior Sarah Williams (Bethesda, MD/Bullis School) was credited with a goal and an assist.

The Lyons responded with two goals in the opening half's final three minutes while keeping the Jumbos off the board for over 19 minutes. Junior Alexa Jurczak (Davidsonville, MD/Miss Porter's School) and sophomore Bridget Thornton (Southington, CT/Cheshire Academy) each notched goals to make it a 5-3 game at the intermission. Senior goalie Kristin Konig (Montecito, CA/Cate School) helped keep Wheaton in striking distance with 11 first-half saves.

The Jumbos extended their lead to 6-3 on a goal from junior Alyssa Corbett (Malvern, PA/Great Valley) just 1:41 into the second stanza, but Lyon sophomore Caitlin Grant (Walpole, MA/Walpole) answered with under 25 minutes to go. The two-goal margin was as close as Wheaton would get, as Tufts began to pull away with four of the game's next five goals. The Jumbos ended up scoring eight of 10 goals to take a comfortable 14-6 advantage with eight minutes remaining. Freshman Jenna Abelli (Framingham, MA/Framingham) led the way with four goals during that stretch.

Grant and junior Meredith Hurd (Bath, ME/Hyde School) tallied twice each for Wheaton, with Hurd adding an assist, while Abelli and sophomore Courtney Thomas (Needham, MA/Needham) posted four goals apiece for Tufts. Thomas was also credited with two assists, and Attura finished with a game-high four helpers. Konig stopped 19 Jumbo shots in the loss, while sophomore Gillian Kline (Chevy Chase, MD/Saint Andrew's Episcopal) had eight saves.

Wheaton returns to action one week from today at fourth-ranked Bowdoin College. The game in Brunswick, Maine, is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start.

SCORING: 1st 2nd Final
Wheaton (0-4) 3 4 7
Tufts (2-1) 5 10 15

Cumulative Scoring:
Goals: WC- Caitlin Grant 2, Meredith Hurd 2, Alexa Jurczak, Brittany King, Bridget Thornton; TU- Jenna Abelli 4, Courtney Thomas 4, Alyssa Corbett 2, Lauren Murphy 2, Chrissie Attura, Maya Shoham, Sarah Williams

Assists: WC- Hurd; TU- Attura 4, Courtney Thomas 2, Williams 2, Abelli, Jackie Thomas

Goalkeeper Saves: WC- Kristin Konig 19; TU- Gillian Kline 8

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