#1 vs. #2 in NESCAC Showdown

Undefeated Middlebury and Tufts Meet in Vermont.

Author

Steve Ulrich
April 11, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

APRIL 11, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH

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TOP STORY
1. #1 vs. #2 in NESCAC Showdown

Hope Shue, Middlebury

Pascale de Buren, Tufts

It’s the biggest game of the DIII women’s lacrosse regular season as defending national champion and top-ranked Middlebury (12-0, 7-0) plays host to second-ranked Tufts
(12-0, 7-0) on Saturday at noon at Peter Kohn Field in Vermont.

The winner has the inside track for serving as host of the NESCAC semifinals and final on the first weekend in May. And this one is a case of irresistible force meets immovable object.

The Panthers average 15.0 goals per outing and concede just 5.5. Hope Shue leads Middlebury in scoring (44-17-61), while Caroline Adams (26-14-40) and Maggie Coughlin (21-19-40) each have 40 points on the year. Gina Driscoll has been a stone wall in goal with a 57.7 save percentage.

The Jumbos, who average 17.1 goals per contest while surrendering just 5.8, have five players with 20 or more goals, led by Allie Zorn (35-15-50). Ella Lesperance is the leading feeder (21-18-39), while 12 of Maggie Carden’s 29 goals have come via free position. GK Pascale de Buren has a 57.0 save percentage between the pipes for Tufts.

TOP GAME (W)
2. Surprising Elmhurst Puts Spotless Record On Line vs. Denison

Eli Spence, Elmhurst

Tommy Quinson, Denison
(Photo by TJ Darr)

One of these teams is not like the other.

The visitors have won 742 games in program history that began in 1953 and has reached the NCAA quarterfinals 15 times, including three wins to advance to the national semifinals. The other? Program began in 2013 with a grand total of 95 all-time victories.

The new kids on the block - #11 Elmhurst (10-0) - welcomes #16 Denison (8-4) to Langhorst Field for a 1 p.m. Saturday contest that could show if the Bluejays are “ready for prime time.”

The Big Red is paced by Tommy Quinson who has 31-19-50, while Macky Peck adds 29-7-36. GK Andrew Albert has a 53.7 save percentage to go along with a 9.62 GAA. Elmhurst’s Eli Spence has been among the nation’s leaders in points (47-28-75), while GK Noah Mickelson has a 57.1 save percentage and an 8.16 GAA.

FEATURE
3. Does Spending Equate to NPI Success?

by Steve Dittmore, D3Lacrosse.net

“The NCAA released the season’s first National Power Index (NPI) this week. A few weeks back I wrote about the average roster size and the average operating expense per participant for D3 men’s and women’s lacrosse teams.

Understanding the lag time that exists in the data, I thought it would be interesting to similarly evaluate this week’s top 20 NPI schools. Using data from the 2023 season (the most recent publicly available data on the EADA website), here is what I can observe about the 2025 top 20 NPI schools.

The average roster size for the 2025 women’s top 20 NPI teams was 31.30 in 2023, a full nine players more than the overall D3 women’s average of 22.01. The observed average roster size for the 2025 men’s top 20 NPI teams was 51.15, 14.5 more athletes than the overall D3 men’s average of 36.56 participants.”

STATISTICS
4. National Statistical Leaders

Landon Locke, Merchant Marine

Here is a look at the national teams leaders in scoring offense, defense and extra-man offense through Wednesday’s games.

Scoring Offense
Mount Union, 18.23
Roanoke, 18.23
Endicott, 18.00
Tufts, 17.27
Salisbury, 17.07
Pfeiffer, 17.00
Grove City, 16.73
Baldwin Wallace, 16.50
Ohio Wesleyan, 16.36
RIT, 16.29
Scoring Defense
Trine, 4.77
Oswego State, 6.30
Bowdoin, 6.64
Rivier, 7.00
Franklin & Marshall, 7.00
Potsdam, 7.20
Ithaca, 7.23
Randolph-Macon, 7.43
Delhi, 7.55
Ohio Northern, 7.57
Extra-Man Offense
Merchant Marine, 56.7
Saint Vincent, 54.2
Randolph-Macon, 53.8
Oberlin, 52.9
Salisbury, 51.2
Christopher Newport, 50.0
Susquehanna, 50.0
Carthage, 48.9
Cortland, 48.6
Rhodes, 48.6

Vanessa Willick, Buffalo State (photo by Dylan Devine)

Scoring Offense
Meredith, 19.71
DeSales, 18.15
Capital, 18.00
Pomona-Pitzer, 17.85
Mount Union, 17.38
Merchant Marine, 17.22
Tufts, 17.08
Buffalo State, 16.92
TCNJ, 16.91
Piedmont, 16.87
Scoring Defense
Merchant Marine, 5.00
Sewanee, 5.00
DeSales, 5.15
Meredith, 5.36
Middlebury, 5.50
St. John Fisher, 5.64
Springfield, 5.73
Tufts, 5.75
Lynchburg, 6.00
Colorado College, 6.14
Draw Control Percentage
Claremont-M-S, 78.9
Babson, 69.1
Shenandoah, 67.3
Tufts, 65.6
Middlebury, 65.4
William Smith, 65.0
Springfield, 64.3
Sewanee, 64.0
Plymouth State, 63.8
Hope, 63.4

SCHEDULE
5. What We’re Watching This Weekend

Saturday
M: Carthage (9-3, 0-1) at Illinois Wesleyan (9-2, 1-0)
M: Kean (11-3, 1-1) at #4 Christopher Newport (12-2, 1-1)
M: Wentworth (10-3, 3-1) at Endicott (9-3, 5-0)
M: Elizabethtown (8-5, 6-0) at Scranton (6-8, 6-0)
M: #13 Middlebury (7-5, 5-2) at #2 Tufts (11-0, 7-0)
M: Salve Regina (11-2, 4-0) at #23 Babson (9-3, 3-1)
M: Hampden-Sydney (8-4, 3-2) at Roanoke (9-4, 5-1)
W: Illinois Wesleyan (6-6, 1-0) at Carroll (7-3, 1-0)
W: #4 Gettysburg (10-2, 2-1) at #19 Haverford (9-3, 2-1)
W: Catholic (5-7, 4-1) at Moravian (8-5, 4-1)
W: Plymouth State (9-2, 3-0) at #14 WestConn (11-1, 4-0)
W: #10 TCNJ (9-2) at #20 Salisbury (9-3)
W: #11 Rowan (10-1, 1-0) at Stockton (10-2, 1-0)
W: #15 Trinity (7-4, 4-3) at #5 Colby (9-2, 5-2)
W: DePauw (6-5, 2-0) at #9 Wooster (12-1, 2-0)
W: George Fox (6-4, 2-0) at Willamette (6-4, 3-0)
W: Westminster (9-2, 4-1) at Washington & Jefferson (6-4, 4-1)
W: Buffalo State (11-2, 5-0) at New Paltz (9-3, 4-1)
W; Methodist (8-5) at Piedmont (10-5, 6-1)

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