New Jersey
Lacrosse Falls to Tufts in NCAA Semifinals – The College of New Jersey Athletics
SALEM, VA. – The TCNJ lacrosse staff’s stirring postseason run got here to an finish on Saturday because the Lions ran right into a red-hot goalkeeper and fell by a rely of 18-7 to Tufts within the NCAA semifinals at Donald J. Kerr Stadium in Salem.
TCNJ, which upset top-ranked and 2021 nationwide champion Salisbury to achieve championship weekend, bought on the board first however was unable to get something going in opposition to All-American netminder Molly Laliberty because the Jumbos returned to the nationwide title sport for the second 12 months in a row. Tufts (19-3) will tackle Middlebury – an 18-5 winner over Gettysburg within the first semifinal of the afternoon – in a rematch of the NESCAC last at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Jennifer LaRocca put a bow on her record-breaking season – and an incredible profession – with 4 targets and two assists, working her historic level whole to 140 for the 12 months.
Ally Tobler scored two fourth-quarter targets to tie the single-season program report of 86, and Anna Devlin netted the opposite tally for the Lions.
Sabrina Phillips racked up eight draw controls and Julia Charest made 9 saves for TCNJ, with Natalie Berry and Jillian Westerby becoming a member of Phillips with two brought about turnovers.
Making their first NCAA semifinal journey since 2018, the Lions have been eradicated by Tufts for the third consecutive postseason. However regardless of the ultimate rating, this was no mismatch.
LaRocca put the Lions on the board first with a tough-angle shot lower than two minutes into the sport, and TCNJ saved the high-powered Jumbos off the scoreboard for almost 10 minutes to start out.
Margie Carden, nonetheless, took over within the first half. She tied the sport on the 5:13 mark of the primary after which giving Tufts the lead for good simply 37 seconds later. After a objective by Kathryn Delaney, the rookie Carden capped her first-period hat-trick with 1:04 on the clock to stretch the Jumbos’ result in 4-1.
LaRocca pulled again an enormous objective with 21 seconds remaining, depositing a free-position shot into the again of the cage to make it 4-2 heading into the second.
Tufts seized management from there, outscoring the Lions 6-0 within the second interval as a part of a run of 11 unanswered targets that ended with a 15-2 benefit late within the third.
The Lions tried to show the tide late. Anna Devlin netted a free-position shot within the closing seconds of the third, and TCNJ scored the primary three targets of the fourth quarter. Tobler potted back-to-back markers on feeds from LaRocca earlier than the senior scored her third to trim the margin to 15-6 with 8:37 remaining. Tufts then scored twice earlier than the LaRocca discovered the again of the cage for the final time in her profession with 4:52 to go.
On the floor, the sport was performed evenly, if not with a slight bend to TCNJ. The Lions have been solely outshot by a slim 35-33 margin, managed extra attracts (14-13), and dedicated 5 fewer turnovers (8 to the Jumbos’ 13).
However Laliberty, a two-time first staff All-American, saved her greatest for the largest stage. She racked up 16 saves for the day, together with 11 within the first half – and plenty of have been of a excessive diploma of problem. At one level within the third quarter she had made 13 saves with solely two targets allowed. Laliberty had some assist from the woodwork as properly – Tobler hit a crossbar and a put up, and Wayden Ay additionally rang the pipe on an eight-meter shot.
Along with her third-quarter objective, Devlin had 4 draw controls to run her program-record last tally to 128. Phillips completed proper behind with 124, and Westerby had one to offer her 82 for the 12 months.
The Lions completed the 12 months 18-3 general, with their 11th consecutive NJAC title and one other journey to the nationwide semifinals.