WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The eighth-ranked Williams College field hockey team proved that it could compete with the best in the nation Saturday afternoon, as the Ephs held a 14-8 advantage in shots and a 10-7 lead in penalty corners during a 3-2 setback to No. 1 Tufts on Williamson Field.

"It was a tough one today," said 27th-year head coach Alix Barrale '93. "We outshot and held an advantage in penalty corners against Tufts, which is an impressive achievement. We held the Jumbos' top attacker to no shots. Unfortunately, we just fell short at the end. Tufts was able to finish in the circle. Hopefully we get another shot at them in the postseason."

The Ephs (10-4, 6-3 NESCAC) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as first-year Hannah Herlihy played a ball from the midfield line that senior Madeline Rowland received on the right attacking side of the circle. The Wilmington, Delaware, native buried a shot from a difficult angle on the end line one minute, 31 seconds into the game.

The Jumbos (14-0, 9-0 NESCAC) pulled even at 1-1 with 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Off a corner, Eleanor Luft's shot from the top of the circle found the back of the net with a deflection by Reagan Malo.

During the 27th minute, senior Claire Colvin inserted a corner, and then the ball found its way back onto her stick on the left side of the circle. She attempted a shot that was deflected by senior Keira Harder into the right side of the net, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead. One minute later, Luft sent the game into halftime knotted at 2-2, scoring off a corner.

With 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter, Riley Schmidt's initial shot was blocked, but then she followed up and buried the second-chance opportunity, providing Tufts with the 3-2 victory.

Four of the five goals in the game were scored off corners. Herlihy led all student-athletes with four shots, putting three on target. Williams and Tufts split the two meetings during the 2025 season, as the Ephs won in Medford, Massachusetts, 3-1, during the regular season and the Jumbos emerged victorious by a score of 2-1 in double overtime during the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The Ephs compete in their regular-season finale on Tuesday, as they make the trip to play No. 2 Middlebury at 6:30 p.m.