Cortland Falls at #4 Tufts in NCAA Second Round
Cortland Sports Information Department
MEDFORD, MASS. – The nationally fourth-ranked Tufts women's lacrosse team outscored Cotland, 10-1, in the second half in pulling away for a 21-7 victory in the second round of the NCAA Div. III playoffs Sunday afternoon at Bello Field. The Red Dragons had their 13-game winning streak snapped and finished 15-5, tying for 17th nationally. The Jumbos improved to 15-3 and advanced to the third round.
Amy Hoeffner (Bay Shore) led Cortland with four goals and an assist. Toni Cashman (East Moriches/Westhampton Beach) netted a pair of goals, Isabel Adams (Burnt Hills/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) scored a goal, while Rachel Janis (Laurel/Mattituck), Ashley Melillo (Massapequa) and Rachel Rempe (Aquebogue/Riverhead) each contributed an assist.
Margaret Morgan (New Fairfield, CT) started in goal for the Red Dragons, making a season-high 11 saves through three quarters.Trinity Parks (Binghamton/Chenango Forks) did not stop a shot over the final 15 minutes. Hoeffner won three draw controls, Rempe secured two draws, and Chelsey Weber (Holtsville/Sachem East) collected four ground balls.
Allie Zorn led 10 Tufts goal scorers with a game-high six. Caroline Conaghan tallied three goals and an assist, and Emma Joyce also netted three goals. Madeline Delaney finished with two goals and two assists, Schuyler Lloyd scored twice and Ella Lesperance recorded a goal and three assists. Four others each notched a goal, while three Jumbos picked up an assist.
Goalie Pascale de Buren stopped five shots and scooped up two ground balls for Tufts. Elsa Schutt won nine draws, and Joyce and Genna Gibbons secured three draws apiece as the Jumbos won 21-of-29 draws in the game. Kathryn Fernandopulle collected four ground balls and caused two turnovers, and Delaney also recorded two caused turnovers.
Statistically, Tufts outshot Cortland, 40-13 and only turned the ball over six times compared to 15 for the Red Dragons. Of the 12 cards issued in the game, nine went to Cortland. The Red Dragons were also called for 27 fouls, while the Jumbos only recorded 14 fouls.
Cortland took a quick 2-0 lead as Cashman scored at 13:38 and Hoeffner notched her first goal at 12:57. Conaghan and Hoeffner then traded goals before Joyce scored twice and Conaghan scored again to put the Jumbos ahead 5-3. Adams closed the opening quarter with her goal to pull the Red Dragons to within 5-4.
Tufts scored twice to open the second quarter before Cashman made it a 7-5 game with her second goal at the 9:11 mark. The Jumbos started to pull away with four straight goals from four different players, but Hoeffner scored with 30 seconds on the clock to bring the Red Dragons to within 11-6 at the half.
The Jumbos took control of the game by outscoring Cortland, 5-0, in the third quarter with Zorn netting three goals and Delaney scoring twice. Amorosino opened the fourth quarter with her goal 33 seconds in, and Hoeffner stopped the Tufts run with her fourth goal at 11:55. The Jumbos closed the game with the last four goals for the 21-7 final.
Hoeffner capped her career with a program-record 338 draw controls, and her 145 draws in 2024 were the second-most in a single season at Cortland. Cashman completed her career ninth in scoring in program history with 255 points on 193 goals and 62 assists. Her 193 goals are tied for seventh all-time and her 75 goals in 2024 are the sixth-most in a single season. Janis finished her career with 115 assists, which ranks sixth in program history, while her 72 assists in 2024 are the third-most in a single season. She also set the single-game record with nine assists earlier in the season. Amanda Squillini (Stony Point/North Rockland) wrapped up her career with 95 caused turnovers, the sixth-most in program history.
Tufts 21, Cortland 7
Team 1-2-3-4 Final
Cortland 4-2-0-1 7
Tufts 5-6-5-5 21
Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Amy Hoeffner 4-1, Toni Cashman 2-0, Isabel Adams 1-0, Rachel Janis 0-1, Ashley Melillo 0-1, Rachel Rempe 0-1
Tufts: Allie Zorn 6-0, Caroline Conaghan 3-1, Emma Joyce 3-0, Madeline Delaney 2-2, Schuyler Lloyd 2-0, Ella Lesperance 1-3, Margie Carden 1-0, Alexa Amorosino 1-0, Grace Hammond 1-0, Caroline Sapir 1-0, Sophia Claps 0-1, Lucy Hodge 0-1, Kate Mastrobuono 0-1
Goalkeepers:
Cortland: Margaret Morgan, 11 saves (16 GA in 45:00), Trinity Parks, 0 saves (5 GA in 15:00)
Tufts: Pascale de Buren, 5 saves (7 GA in 60:00)
Shots: Tufts 40, Cortland 13
Ground Balls: Tufts 14, Cortland 7
Clears: Tufts 13-of-13, Cortland 12-of-16
Draw Controls: Tufts 21, Cortland 8
Caused Turnovers: Tufts 8, Cortland 2
Turnovers: Cortland 15, Tufts 6
Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 15-5, Tufts (Jumbos) 15-3 (ranked 4th in Div. III)
