HARTFORD, Conn. - The Trinity College Bantams lost, 13-7, against the visiting Tufts University Jumbos in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women's lacrosse action this afternoon on Sheppard Field.  Trinity, ranked No. 17 in the nation, falls to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the NESCAC, while the No. 4-ranked Jumbos improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the league.  Trinity will host Babson next on Tuesday at 6 p.m.  Senior tri-captain attacker Lily Ives (Chappaqua, N.Y.) scored four times for the Bantams.

The teams traded goals over nearly the entire first half, as Ives and Tufts' Emma Joyce each scored three goals over the first 28 minutes of the game.  Ives' first goal gave Trinity its only lead at 2-1 with 5:54 left in the first quarter and her third tied the game at 4-4 with 2:54 remaining before halftime.  Both of those goals were assisted by Trinity sophomore Brooke Kurtz, while Ives and first-year attacker Molly McGuckin (Darien, Conn.) also scored on free positions in the first half.  Joyce scored her fourth goal before intermission with 1:57 on the clock in the second quarter, igniting a 4-0 Jumbos run that lasted until late in the third quarter.

Junior attacker Caroline Lampert (Wayland, Mass.) ended Trinity's 13:07 scoring drought on a free position with 4:47 left in the third quarter to make the score, 8-5, in the Jumbos' favor at the final break.  Tufts' Maggie Carden and Ives alternated goals earlier in the fourth frame, but Tufts scored twice in a span of 53 seconds to push its lead back up to 11-6 with 9:17 on the clock.  Trinity senior tri-captain Elle Fair (Westport, Conn.) scored off a nice feed in traffic by sophomore midfielder Caitlin Buermann (West Caldwell, N.J.) with 7:13 left to play but the Bantams could not put another shot on goal the rest of the way.  

Trinity outshot Tufts, 32-28, and forced 12 turnovers while committing just seven but the Jumbos won 19 of 24 draws.  McGuckin added an assist and game-highs of three caused turnovers and three ground balls, while Bantam goalies Alyssa Vitale (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Ali Macdougall (Southbury, Conn.) combined for nine saves.  Carden and Joyce had nine goals between them, while Madeline Delaney added a goal, an assist, and a game-high seven draw controls.  Jumbo goalkeeper Courtney Kaufman as solid with 10 saves.