WATERVILLE, Maine - Senior Kirsten Grazewski scored a free-position goal with 12:48 remaining in the second half to give Tufts an 11-10 lead and the Jumbo defense made it stand as Tufts earned a return trip to the NCAA Final Four with the win over TCNJ in the Elite 8 at Colby College.
RELATED: Box Score
The Jumbos trailed the Lions 10-8 after Anna Devlin scored with 18:38 remaining in the second half. TCNJ won the ensuing draw, but Jumbo junior goalie Molly Laliberty made a save. Tufts cleared and got a free-position goal by Anna Clarke to pull within one, 10-9, at the 16:47 mark.
The Lions won the draw again, but Jumbo defender Madison Lehan caused a turnover. At the other end, Emily Games scooped up a loose ball behind the net and fired a pass to Grazewski out front and her goal at 14:43 tied the score at 10-10.
On the ensuing draw Tufts gained control, but TCNJ goalie Alexa Natalicchio saved a free-position shot by Games. Clarke got the rebound and 30 seconds later Grazeswki was converting the eventual game-winning free-position attempt.
Grazewkski hit the post while trying to score a third consecutive goal and give Tufts a cushion. Laliberty made three saves in a four-minute stretch from 11:15 to 7:04. Tufts was able to control possession for most of the final five minutes, but TCNJ had one final clear into the Tufts end with 90 seconds remaining. The Jumbo defense was up to the task and with the shot clock winding down Erin Jaffe flung an attempt from well outside the arc that went over the net. Laliberty tracked it down Tufts ran out the remaining 30 seconds on the clock.
Tufts moves on to play St. John Fisher in the Final Four on May 22 at 2 p.m. The Cardinals defeated Messiah 9-5. Both of Saturday's semifinals and the championship game on Sunday will be played at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia.
The Jumbos (9-0) were led by Clarke's three goals and an assist, and two goals with two assists from Games. Laliberty stopped 12 of 22 shots and Erickson caused three turnovers and grabbed three ground balls. Lehan and Becca Gable both caused two Lion miscues.
TCNJ (9-3) finished with a wide 17-5 advantage in draw controls led by six from Sabrina Phillips and five by Devlin. Anna Wright's four goals paced TCNJ while Natalicchio finished with nine saves.
TCNJ had charged out to a 4-1 lead with Wright and Jillian Westerby both scoring twice. However, the Jumbos were able to turn the momentum around and finish the half with a 6-1 run to lead 7-5 at intermission. Games and Lawliss both scored twice during the stretch including Games assisted by Lawliss with just one second on the clock.
The Lions again were able to come out strong to start the second half. They outscored the Jumbos 5-1 in the first 12 minutes of the period, including three by Devlin which gave the Lions their 10-8 advantage. Tufts again was able to turn it around though, and they will go to the Final Four for the second time as a result.
This is the second straight season Tufts has reached the Final Four. They were there in 2019, losing to Salisbury 14-11. The NCAA Tournament was not held in 2020.
