The field hockey team has been unstoppable this season, outscoring its opponents 29-3. This Homecoming weekend, in front of a large crowd of Tufts students, alumni and fans, the Jumbos, who are 3-0 in the conference and a perfect 5-0 overall, will look to extend their winning streak even further with a victory over Bates tomorrow.
Tufts last hosted the Bobcats for Homecoming in 2006 in a game that came down to triple overtime. Following an 86-minute stalemate and a stroke-off, the Jumbos prevailed by a score of 2-1.
In order to avoid a tiebreaker this time around, the squad will have to take advantage of the offensive opportunities that come its way.
"My biggest goal right now is creating our own opportunities instead of capitalizing on other teams' mistakes," coach Tina McDavitt said. "We need to completely control the game and get rid of our bad habits.
"Against Conn. College [last Saturday], we took 22 shots and we scored three goals," McDavitt continued. "We're working on taking higher percentage shots and being more composed so that we can score more goals off of fewer chances."
While the Jumbos are looking to continue scoring in high numbers — they are currently averaging 5.8 goals per game —they also plan to bring some different techniques to the field on Saturday. The team's offense will use the match-up against the Bobcats, who currently share the bottom of the NESCAC standings with Conn. College and Wesleyan, to practice new shots and strategies that they hope to employ against stronger teams in the future.
"Bates plays with only three defensive backs, which we can use to our advantage," McDavitt said. "When you have more tricks in your bag, you have more things you can do when your usual moves aren't working. We've been working on that."
