NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's lacrosse team dropped a 19-7 decision to nationally-ranked Tufts University in non-conference action Thursday afternoon at Keefe Field, as the Jumbos stand seventh according to the most recent Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll.

Suffering their third straight setback, the Lyons fell to 5-5 overall, while the Jumbos won for the fifth consecutive time to improve to 9-1.

Tufts jumped out to a 7-0 advantage by the 18:41 mark of the opening half, as juniors Jenna Abelli (Framingham, MA/Framingham) and Emily Johnson (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) and sophomore Amanda Roberts (Wenham, MA/Phillips Exeter Academy) each scored twice in the stretch.

Wheaton scored four of the game's next five goals, including two by senior Bridget Thornton (Southington, CT/Cheshire Academy), to make it 8-4 with five minutes left in the half before the Jumbos rattled off six straight in a 3:11 span. Roberts and freshman Stephanie Perez (East Providence, RI/Portsmouth Abbey) tallied two goals apiece during the run.

With Tufts holding a comfortable 14-4 halftime lead, senior Maya Shoham (West Hartford, CT/Hall) scored 4:18 into the second frame for an 11-goal advantage. Seniors Caitlin Grant (Walpole, MA/Walpole) and Madeline Williams (Annapolis, MD/Key School) brought Wheaton to within single digits at 15-6 at the 22:03 mark, but four different Jumbos found the back of the net in helping the visitors score four of the final five tallies.

Thornton finished with a hat trick to pace the hosts, while Grant totaled two goals and an assist. Sophomore goalie Marianna Marcellino's (Milton, MA/Thayer Academy) 14 saves were one shy of her season best.

Shoham led all scorers with seven points on four goals and three assists. Roberts posted a team-high-tying four tallies, Perez scored three times with one helper, while first-year Casey Egan (Massapequa, NY/Massapequa) turned in four assists. Sophomore Sara Bloom (Summit, NJ/Summit) accounted for 10 saves in one half of action during the win.

The Lyons return to action on Saturday with a non-league game at Eastern Connecticut State University at 2:00 p.m.