MEDFORD, Mass. -- The fifth-seeded Colby College women's lacrosse team set a New England Small College Athletic Conference Championship record for goals in a game in a 22-14 victory over fourth-seeded Tufts University on Sunday in a league quarterfinal game. Colby will play at top-seeded Middlebury College in a NESCAC semifinal game this Saturday at noon. Amherst College, the second seed, takes on third-seeded Trinity College in the other game at 2:30 p.m. at Middlebury. The championship game is next Sunday at noon.

The 18th-ranked Mules (10-5) made the NESCAC semifinals for the second year in a row and the fifth time since the league started a playoff format in 2001. Colby made the conference championship game in 2007 before falling 10-8 to seven-time champion Middlebury.

Becky Julian had a collegiate-high nine points with four goals and five assists. The junior attacker reached 100 career points Saturday against Amherst and now has 37 goals and 17 assists for 54 points this season. Besides the game scoring record of 22 to break the old record of 21 by Williams in a defeat of Bates in 2001, Colby also combined with the Jumbos to break the NESCAC record for most goals in a game by both teams with the 36 goals. Middlebury and Williams combined for 31 goals in a semifinal game in 2006.

Amy Campbell scored a collegiate-high six goals and now has 34 goals and eight assists for 42 points this season. Campbell had five goals in her entire first season with the Mules last year. Heather Nickerson added four goals and one assist Sunday to go over 50 career points at 43 goals and 11 assists for 54 points. Kate Sheridan chipped in with one goal and four assists to move within four points of 200 for her three-year collegiate career. Sheridan has 136 goals and 60 assists for 196 points and leads the NESCAC with 47 goals and 31 assists for 78 points.

Carly Rapaport added three goals, Carrie Lovejoy scored twice, Lauren Strazzula and Kathleen Kramer both had one goal for the Mules. Lovejoy, a senior co-captain, also went over 50 career points and now has 43 goals and eight assists for 51 points. Sarah Warnke stopped nine shots in goal for the Mules and has a 7-2 record this season.

Tufts, ranked 16th nationally, had the first three goals less than three minutes into the game for an early lead. The Mules scored the next six, two by Nickerson, to go up 6-3 with 19 minutes remaining until halftime. The momentum swung back to Tufts as they scored four of the next five to tie it at 7-7. However, Colby would establish control by out-scoring Tufts 6-2 in the final 10 minutes of the half to lead 13-9 at the break. Campbell and Julian both had two goals during the stretch.

Colby was then able to keep the momentum in the second half, scoring the first two goals and four of the first five to lead 17-10 on Julian's free-position goal at 23:35. Tufts (10-5) got within six (17-11) on Jenna Abelli's goal at 21:20, but the Mules scored the next three to lead 20-11 with 13:13 to go.

Colby    13   9   =   22
Tufts     9   5   =   14

Goals:
C, Amy Campbell 6, Becky Julian 4, Heather Nickerson 4, Carly Rapaport 3, Carrie Lovejoy 2, Kate Sheridan 1, Lauren Strazzula 1, Kathleen Kramer 1.
T, Jenna Abelli 4, Sarah Williams 3, Amanda Roberts 3, Chrissie Attura 1, Emily Johnson 1, Courtney Thomas 1, Maya Shoham 1.

Assists:
C, Becky Julian 5, Kate Sheridan 4, Cary Finnegan 1, Heather Nickerson 1.
T, Chrissie Attura 2, Alyssa Corbett 2.

Goalies:
C, Sarah Warnke (60:00 ­ 14 GA) 9 saves.
T, Sara Bloom (600:00 ­ 22 GA) 15 saves.

2008-04-27