Fourth-ranked Middlebury improved to 3-0 on the season with a 17-9 road win over #10 Tufts (2-1, 0-1) on Saturday afternoon on Bello Field. Alli Sciarretta and Bridget Instrum both scored five goals to lead the Panthers to the victory. Middlebury returns to action on Sunday with a road contest at MIT.

The Panthers tallied the first six goals of the game, two each by Instrum and Bea Eppler, to take a commanding lead just 11 minutes in. Mary O'Connell assisted on two of the scores.

The Jumbos recorded four of the next five goals to pull within three at 7-4 with 8:33 remaining until halftime. Caroline Ross had two of the goals. Middlebury scored the final three of the half, taking a 10-4 lead into the break. Back-to-back goals by Instrum started the spurt.

Tufts stuck around with Ross scoring the first two goals of the second half, making it a 10-6 game. The Panthers responded with four of the next five goals by four different players, and led 14-7 on a Laurel Pascal free-position shot with 16:39 remaining.

Brigid Bowser and Ross netted back-to-back goals for the Jumbos to bring the score to 14-9 Middlebury. The visitors finished off the win with three-straight tallies to close the game, including a pair by Sciarretta.

Pascal and Eppler each added three goals in the win for the Panthers. O'Connell had four assists in the game as Middlebury earned a 34-22 advantage in shots. The Panthers also had a healthy 17-11 lead on draw controls, including seven by Pascal. Kate Furber made six saves in the win.

Ross was the only Jumbo to finish with multiple goals scoring five, while Audrey Evers stopped 10 shots in goal for the hosts.