By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/25/25
A month has passed since Margie Carden and her Tufts University women’s lacrosse team suffered a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to rival and four-time champion Middlebury in the NCAA Division III women’s championship.
However, the Villa Maria Academy alumna said there were too many victories in her brilliant four-year career to allow one – albeit a tough one – disappointment to spoil her college memories..
“After that last game I would think about certain plays that could have changed (the outcome),” said Carden. “But now that more time has passed, I’m just very grateful to have had the opportunity to play for that program, be coached by Courtney (Shute), and have gotten to meet so many great girls.
“The new girls and especially our senior class were some of the best people I’ve ever met. I’m really happy I was healthy for 4 years and got to be a part of so many wins, that the losses all fade away. The more you think about it, you pursue a college degree while also doing something that you love, that’s so much fun. I just have so many great memories overall.”
Carden’s resume at Tufts was remarkable. She earned First-Team IWLCA All-American and All-NESCAC honors three years and Second-Team honors her freshman season. She also set the school career record for goals (268) and points (334), and single-season mark for goals – tallying 71 this season after first setting the record of 69 in 2022 and 2023.
What Carden is most proud of, though, was starting every game for 4 years at Tufts, which went 72-15 in that span, twice winning the powerful NESCAC (2022, 2025) and twice reaching the NCAA title game (2022, 2025) before bowing to Middlebury.
“I’ proud of my consistency every year, especially as I got older and took on different expectations,” she said. “You’d have some good days and bad days, but I always tried to find the middle ground and not get too many highs or too many lows. And sometimes when I didn’t succeed as much as I wanted (in scoring), I’d try to help in other areas that may not have shown up in the numbers. But I tried to bring everyone up.”
This year’s team highlight was winning the NESCAC crown over Wesleyan, 13-7, at Mid
dlebury. Wesleyan had knocked out Middlebury in the semifinals, but claiming the NESCAC – clearly in the strongest conference in Division III – always carried weight.
“NESCAC weekends were always so much fun and our coach sometimes said in this league we could expect to see the same teams in the last weekend,” said Carden, knowing that came true in most years. “We won it on that field my freshman and senior years, and those were great experiences and highlights.”
Shute – the head coach at Tufts for 12 years – made national headlines during the post-game interviews when she made a point to question why the Division III championships have never been held with the men’s Division III finals and this year were in Salem, Virginia – far away from the two finalists. Meanwhile, the Tufts men – also a perennial NCAA power – got to play at the Patriots stadium in Foxboro during Championship weekend in front of a large crowd and many alumni.
“I think she was spot on,” said Carden, applauding the fact Shite spoke up. “Everything she talked about was points we talked about in our locker room. Having her voice those concerns in a post-game press conference – even speaking up when we had lost the National championship – showed there were bigger things to focus on than just winning and losing.
“That was exactly how we were feeling,” added Carden. “Especially since our men’s team got to experience something like that. It’s heartbreaking that we never got to play in front of fans like that or in a huge NFL stadium. That really highlights that inequities in the game. Something needs to change; there’s no rhyme or reason for it.”
Carden admits that the Jumbos’ goal in 2025 was winning the National title. “I think for the last 4 years the conversation we had always was that our overarching goal was to win the National championship. It’s definitely heartbreaking in the moment. We talked about it with the members of the other classes and they need to use it for motivation for whatever comes next.
“The program will be back there one day ti finish the job. They have what it takes. There’s a tremendous amount of talent on that team. When a game is that close, there’s so many little factors that lead to it.”
Carden said she wanted to thank Shute for her mentorship as well as her coaching. She also thanked her family and Philly’s Bob Mongeluzzi, who runs clinics in the region and has served as a mentor.
“I feel like a lot of peiople have helped me,” said Carden. “Courtney was there from the start, when I was a freshman and a little nervous and timid she always believed in me and – even when I didn’t.
“In my 4 years I’ve grown so much and I’ve gotten to work directly with Courtney. She values everyone’s opinions and listens for ways to improve the program and improve herself. Having a great coach makes the college experience so great and I’m very very thankful for her as a coach and as a person. She’s definitely built a winning culture.
I also have to thank Bob Mongeluzzi. He prepared me as best as possible and I would not be the player I am, nor would I have the IQ skills and techniques from his coaching tips. I never had that type of coaching, and how to best prepare for the college game. That sent me apart, having those coaching sessionrs. Also, I thank my family. Tufts is 6 and a half hours away on a good day and my parents spent hundreds of hours in the car to get to my games. I think they missed just one weekend game! Having them there was amazing and the rest of my family was so supportive.”
Carden’s next step is much closer, but very challenging. She begins her studies at Villanova Law School in 2 months and plans on building a career in immigration law.
“I’m super excited, it’s something I seriously considered as I got older,” said Carden, who majored in International Relations and will spend 3 years in law school. “When you’re a student athlete, a lot of days are just spent getting through to the next day or next week. It’s hard to focus on anything but being a student-athlete.
“But to get the opportunity to see what I can do to help others is something I can’t imagine.”
