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MARCH 17, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

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Headlines
Tufts Handles RIT
Roundup (M): CNU Moves to 9-0
Sea Gulls Turn Away Herons, 10-6
Roundup (W): No Surprises in Top 10

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TOP STORY
1. Tufts Handles RIT

by Matt Kinnear, Inside Lacrosse

“Defending NCAA champion Tufts can outrun you and kill you with speed and overwhelming scoring.

They can also out-possess and strangle you.

On Saturday night at the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic, they did both, beating No. 3 RIT, 17-11, in an NCAA Championship rematch.”

» What They’re Saying. “The guys started playing with a little bit of confidence and just really started to keep it simple,” said Tufts coach Casey D’Annolfo. “We felt like we had a lot of self-inflicted wounds in the first half, a lot of throwaways, a lot of unforced errors. … We were just kind of trying to keep it as simple as possible, and I thought that we did a great job.”

» Difference Makers. “Parker Merril (13-of-17) and Victor Salcedo (9-of-14) combined to win 22-of-31 face-offs, and Brooks Hauser had four goals. Tufts ran away, breaking open a close game in the fourth with a nine-goal run and a stifling defensive effort.”

» Of Note. “The two North powers have played six times since 2021 — four of them in May and twice at the Mustang Classic. The teams are each 3-3 in that stretch.”

» Read More

» Tournament Home Page

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RECAP (M)
2. ROUNDUP: CNU Moves to 9-0

If Tufts was the big winner at the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic, Christopher Newport was a close second, posting wins against Gettysburg, 13-4, and Lynchburg, 16-12. Jamie Smith scored four times against the No. 8 Bullets, while Brett Jackson scored five times against the Hornets as the Captains improved to 9-0. CNU meets Tufts on Wednesday in Newport News.

#2 Salisbury routed Catholic, 22-5, while #4 Wesleyan took down Little Three rival Williams, 22-11, as CK Giancola struck for six goals with three assists. #7 Bowdoin had four players with hat tricks as the Polar Bears took down Connecticut College, 22-12. #8 Gettysburg rebounded from its loss to CNU and defeated Hamilton, 10-6. #10 Amherst blitzed Colby by a 9-2 count in the second half to hand the Mules a 14-8 defeat. Bob Gross had 4-3 for the Mammoths (4-0).

#11 Washington and Lee outscored #14 Dickinson, 3-0, in the decisive final period to down the Red Devils, 11-8. Hillis Burns recorded the 200th point of his W&L career. Michael Hardiman scored six times as #12 Swarthmore cruised past Arcadia, 20-3. #14 Stevenson held off #18 St. Lawrence, 11-10, ending a lost weekend for the Saints and capping a 2-0 weekend for the Mustangs.

Trinity used a seven-goal third period to turn back #15 St. John Fisher, 16-12. #16 Middlebury ended Bates’ perfect start as Billy Curtis had a seven-point day in lifting the Panthers past the Bobcats, 17-11. Peter Kip had two goals and four assists as Union upended #17 Stevens, 17-11. Springfield stunned #20 Babson, 9-6, as Kaden Quirk made 10 saves.

Carthage is 8-1 after a 17-11 win at Concordia (Wis.), while Trine moved to 7-0 with a 9-3 victory over MSOE. Elmhurst (7-0) also remained undefeated with a 14-8 home win over Wooster.

TOP GAME (W)
3. #5 Salisbury Turns Away #6 William Smith

Fifth-ranked Salisbury used its defense to smother #6 William Smith in a 30-minute stretch of two halves to down the Herons, 10-6.

Trailing 4-2 after one period, William Smith scored three of the next four goals to square the contest at 5-5. The Sea Gull defense then held the visitors scoreless for the next 30:28 to open up a 10-5 lead and never looked back.

Julianna Ott led Salisbury with four goals, while Liz Haney added a goal and two assists. Paige Ellis made 10 saves for the Gulls, while Maura Smeader had 11 for William Smith.

» Read More

RECAP
4. ROUNDUP: No Surprises in Top 10

#1 Middlebury (5-0) blasted Bates, 18-1, outshooting the Bobcats, 26-6. #3 Tufts ran away from visiting Hamilton, 17-5, as Margie Carden scored five times. #4 Gettysburg (6-0) knocked off #15 York, 16-10, as Julia Daly had a seven-point day. #7 Washington and Lee edged Catholic, 10-9, as Hannah Von Son scored in overtime.

#8 Colby (5-0) held off Amherst, 12-11, on the strength of four goals, including the game-winner, from Julia Jardina. #9 Pomona-Pitzer (8-0) jumped out to an 8-3 lead at the half to defeat #18 Trinity, 16-10. #16 Ithaca turned back RIT, 16-12, while Haverford (7-1) toppled #17 Christopher Newport, 8-7. The Captains rallied from a 7-4 deficit to force overtime before the Fords’ Natalie Bole notched the game-winner. Geneseo toppled #12 Roanoke, 17-10, powered by a six-goal outburst from Rosemary Mahoney.

St. John Fisher eased past Cortland, 19-4, while Capital downed Centre, 17-13, as Grace Osborn tallied nine goals. Keene State handed UMass Boston its first loss of the season, 13-7. John Carroll remained unscathed with a 20-9 win at Albion.

FEATURE
5. Wightman Family Continues to Make Impact For Thiel Women's Lacrosse

by Josh Rizzo, Greensburg Tribune-Review

“Thiel junior Hayden Wightman wasn’t sure she was even going to attend college. If Wightman did go, she wasn’t sure she wanted to follow the family tradition of playing lacrosse. While Wightman was in high school at Shaler Area, she didn’t play any varsity sports.

But once her dad took the job as the Tomcats’ coach, and her two sisters, Maddy and Ashlyn, played at Thiel, Hayden got the desire to give the sport one more try.

Hayden has teamed with record-setting sister Ashlyn to help the Tomcats open the season with a 3-0 record. Ashlyn set several records during the Tomcats’ 20-9 win over West Virginia Wesleyan on March 8 on the road.”

» Field Awareness. “Ashlyn scored 14 goals in the win and added to her school record by reaching 300 goals. Ashlyn, who is in her fifth season, has 27 goals thus far this season. She scored 96 last season and 106 two seasons ago.”

» Of Note. “Bill Wightman drives from Shaler to Greenville to coach the women’s team. While the drive can be monotonous, it provides Bill with extra time with his daughters. He still wants his daughters to have their freedom.”

» Quotable. “I never thought I was going to achieve what I have or score what I have,” Ashlyn said. “It is my family support and the support of my friends and teammates is why I am able to keep going and do so well. I’ve never scored as much as I have the past few seasons. I’m hungry for more.”

» Continue Reading

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