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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Monday, March 18, 2024

Jumbos score three goals in second half comeback

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Sophomore defender Alexa Pius fights for the ball in a 1-0 loss to Williams on October 18, 2014.

The women's soccer team scored three unanswered goals against Hamilton on Saturday, erasing a one-goal first half deficit to defeat Hamilton 4-2 in its second-to-last regular season game. Sophomores Jess Capone and Brook Fortin each scored two goals to bring the team's record to 3-5-1 in the NESCAC and 7-5-2 overall.

"Coming back in the second half was the most memorable moment of the game," Capone said. "Not only that, we came back to take the lead, which was a really emotional win because it was senior day [and the last home game of the season]."

In a markedly different start to their four previous NESCAC games, the Jumbos got on the board early with a goal from Capone in the 14th minute off an assist from senior co-captain Carla Kruyff. A combined effort from Fortin and senior midfielder Nikki Blank earned the Jumbos a corner kick, and Kruyff's corner kick found a perfectly positioned Capone who headed the ball into the net for the first goal of the day.

Hamilton was the more aggressive team in the game, while Tufts was the more efficient one. Hamilton tallied 13 shots in the game, and out-shot Tufts 8-3 in the first half. Even then, however, the Continentals only led by one heading into the half.

Hamilton's aggressive play did pay off initially, as the Continentals scored the final two goals of the first half. The Continentals' first goal came off a free kick near the low right side of the box where junior Becca Rees found open first-year Katie Kreider sprinting from the top of the box. Hamilton's second goal, scored with less than ten minutes left in the half, broke the stalemate. The combined play of Hamilton first-year Katja Dunlap and senior Rachel Hirsch drew the Tufts defenders away from teammate first-year Dary Philbrick, whose one-timer slid inside the near post to give the Continentals a 2-1 lead after the first 45 minutes.

The second half, however, featured a drastic change of pace, as the full potential of a cohesive and dynamic Tufts team was finally on display. The Jumbos scored three unanswered goals, showing their strong play on both sides of the field. The team took only four shots in the second half compared to the Continentals' five, but found the back of the net on three of the four attempts.

The Jumbos' successful attack was a result of the forward line finally finding its rhythm, connecting passes and creating opportunities by controlling possession of the ball. First-year Mariah Harvey-Brown's seventh assist of the season (tying her for most assists in the NESCAC) came in the 63rd minute of play deep in the right corner, and she was able to create enough space for a Fortin header that tied the game at 2.

"We didn't let being down a goal at halftime deter our goals, and we just came out really strong," sophomore defender Stephanie Brunswick said. "It's been really refreshing over the past practices, and [we] focused on drills based on what happens when we're down ... We're just really proud of ourselves to keep a positive mentality. It was senior day and [we were] playing for our seniors, to let them go out on Kraft field with a bang."

Just minutes later, Kreider had a great chance to retake the lead for Hamilton, but the Tufts defense, led by sophomore keeper Eileen McGarry, shut her down.
With just over 20 minutes to play, Capone and Fortin, the team leaders in goals scored with seven apiece, each scored in the Jumbos' come-from-behind win.
Harvey-Brown won a free kick on the top right side of the 18-yard box, and Kruyff's kick sailed towards the far post. It appeared to be headed just wide out of bounds, but sophomore defender Alexa Pius reached the ball just in time to head it back into play. The ball rolled to Fortin who was hovering just inside the 18, but it was pushed out by Hamilton first-year keeper Rachel Cooley. Capone ran onto the mishandled ball to finish the play, giving the Jumbos a 3-2 advantage.
"The free kick that we had really sticks out for me," Brunswick said. "It resulted in one of our goals where Alexa [Pius] kept it inbounds, but doing a dive to keep it in. I think it exemplifies the tenacity our team has in just doing whatever it takes to get the ball back, so that we could score."
Despite the Continentals' attempt to take the game into overtime, the Jumbos held off their attempts, and the team scored an insurance goal with less than five minutes left in regulation time off of a stunning individual play from Fortin. In the 88th minute, Fortin caught first-year Hamilton goalkeeper Emily Dumont off her line, floating a shot up and over her to secure a crucial win for her team.
Both Hamilton and Tufts had come into the matchup in a must-win situation, battling for the final places in the NESCAC Championship that will be played over the Nov. 1 - 2 weekend. Hamilton had a 3-5-0 conference record, but slip to 3-6-0 with the loss, tied with Bates for the eighth and final spot. Tufts had come into the matchup with a 2-5-1 conference record, but their NESCAC hopes were revitalized against Hamilton -- the win propelled them into a tie for sixth place in the conference.

"We knew that if we wanted to make it through to the NESCAC [Championship], we had to win this game, so that's what we were playing for," Capone said. "But we also wanted to play for each other."

If the conference championship were to be played right now, the Jumbos would have secured a chance at the title, matched against either Amherst, Bowdoin or Conn. College. But one game still remains in the regular season, as Bates, Hamilton and Colby will be looking to usurp Tufts in the rankings. Wesleyan, sitting steadily at the bottom of the conference after going winless thus far, is the only team that has already kissed its tournament hopes goodbye.

The last game of the season will be an away matchup against Bowdoin, a team that currently holds a 7-2-0 record in the NESCAC, but the team believes that its performance against Hamilton is indicative that the team can indeed compete with the best.

"Once you get into the NESCAC tournament it's a clean slate for everyone, and it's anyone's game at that point," Brunswick said. "I mean, our goal is to get as far as we can [in the NESCAC Championship] and that we can win. 'Why not us?' is kind of our model right now."