GETTYSBURG, Pa. – No. 10 Tufts University (4-1) broke a 7-7 tie with five consecutive goals spanning the first and second halves and held No. 2 Gettysburg College (5-2) to just two goals over the final 33 minutes on the way to a 16-9 victory at Clark Field on Wednesday.
 
Wednesday's contest was the first meeting between the two perennial lacrosse powers and Gettysburg jumped out early with a goal by sophomore Jordan Basso (Rye, N.Y./Rye) just 44 seconds into the game. Tufts came right back as Anna Clarke grabbed the first of her game-high nine draw controls and eventually fed a pass to Caroline Conaghan for the team's first tally less than a minute later.
 
The Jumbos held firm defensively by forcing a pair of turnovers sandwiched around a save by goalie Molly Laliberty. The Tufts' offense capitalized with Conaghan dishing off to Claire Wright for a 2-1 lead at 10:49.
 
Gettysburg tied the game, but three consecutive goals by the visitors pushed the advantage to 5-2 late in the first period. Sophomore Jenna King (Millersville, Md./Severna Park) scored on a free-position goal to pull the Bullets within two (5-3) at the end of the first period.
 
Despite falling behind by three early in the second period, momentum began to swing back to Gettysburg. A penalty on Tufts set up junior Katie Fullowan (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon) for an advantage goal at 8:18. It was the start of a 4-1 run by the Bullets with another tally by King tying the contest 7-7 with 3:52 left in the first half.
 
Laliberty stopped a potential go-ahead free-position shot by Basso on Gettysburg's next possession. Gettysburg goalie Gill Cortese (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) made her own save on a shot by Conaghan around the two-minute mark, but the Bullets failed on the ensuing clear and Margie Carden converted a free-position shot 14 seconds later. A goal by Wright gave Tufts a 9-7 leading going into halftime.
 
Tufts continued to pad the lead with the first three goals of the second half. Laliberty made a pair of saves on free-position shots after a penalty on the Jumbos and Conaghan tacked on another goal to push the lead to 12-7 at 5:57 in the third quarter.
 
Fullowan cut the deficit down to four (12-8) with a free-position goal with just over three minutes left in the period.
 
Tufts stymied the Gettysburg offense in the final period, allowing just four total shots and forcing five turnovers. The Jumbos continued to find the net with three goals to open the final stanza with Conaghan handing her team a 15-8 lead following a feed by Carden at 6:06.
 
Gettysburg's lone goal of the final period came from sophomore Caroline Sullivan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield) on a free-position attempt with 5:31 remaining.
 
Tufts finished with a slight lead in shots (30-28) and draw controls (14-13), while Gettysburg led in ground balls (18-17). The cold and rainy conditions impacted ball control with the two teams combining for 41 turnovers and 13 failed clears.
 
Fullowan, King, and senior Maddi Seibel (Newtown, Pa./Pennington School) all finished with two goals. Basso posted a goal and an assist. Freshman Lily Macatee (Street, Md./North Harford) tallied three ground balls, two draw controls, and three caused turnovers. Cortese played the final 45 minutes in goal and finished with four saves and four ground balls.
 
Wright and Conaghan each tossed in four goals with the latter adding three assists. Clarke posted two goals and one assist to go with her nine draws. Mary Grace Reynolds totaled three caused turnovers and two ground balls. Laliberty finished with 10 saves.
 
Gettysburg opens its Centennial Conference schedule at home against No. 22 Haverford College on Saturday, March 26, at 1 p.m.