After a 16-2 drubbing of Babson College last Thursday, the women's lacrosse team had hoped to continue its winning ways on Saturday at home against a powerful Williams squad, which entered the game boasting an undefeated record (4-0) and a national ranking of fifth.
For a while, it looked as if the Jumbos would have their wishes granted. But the team squandered a 6-4 second-half lead when the Ephwomen scored five unanswered goals - led by sophomore Stefanie Noering's three scores - to record a 9-6 victory.
With the loss, Tufts fell to 4-3 overall. The Jumbos continue to struggle in NESCAC play, now standing at 0-3 in conference.
The Ephwomen wasted little time in taking control early in the game, and scored their first goal just over one minute into the first half before jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Williams' offense dominated the game early on, while the defense denied all Jumbo opportunities. In fact, Tufts was unable to advance the ball beyond midfield until the 23:00 mark of the first half.
But with 9:20 remaining in the half, senior Katie Richardson was able to break through the Williams defense, shoveling an underhanded shot beyond the reach of goalie Abi Jackson. Richardson's goal was quickly followed by two more, both from senior co-captain Jen Gregorian, and the Tufts offense was seemingly alive.
Sophomore Dana Chivvis gave Tufts its first lead of the game with 4:34 left in the half, as the Jumbos rattled off five unanswered goals in a span of 5:54 to take a 5-3 lead into halftime. Richardson and Gregorian each recorded two goals during the stretch.
"To be able to score five unanswered goals against a team like this is really something to be proud of," coach Carol Rappoli said after the game.
In the second half, Williams once again came ready to play. A goal at the 28:26 mark quickly narrowed the Jumbos' lead to 5-4. Sophomore goalie Ari Kristan helped preserve Tufts' narrow lead, making a number of key saves early in the second half en-route to 13 on the day.
The team quickly restored the two-goal lead when Chivvis maneuvered past three defenders to net her tenth goal of the season, putting the Jumbos ahead 6-4. This would be all the scoring that the Jumbos would get, however, as the Williams offense again took control of the game.
Willams responded quickly to the Chivvis goal, scoring just forty seconds later, narrowing the lead to one. A mere 3:46 later, Williams retook the lead from the Jumbos for good, as they went on to tally the last five goals of the game. Noering finished with a game-high five goals.
Despite the loss, the team remains confident and drew many positives from the game.
"I felt that this was a far superior effort than we showed in our other losses," Rappoli said. "We still need more composure offensively, but I think the team feels now that it can compete with teams of (Williams') caliber."
The Jumbos will need this confidence when they square off against Middlebury on Wednesday. The Panthers currently hold the top spot in the NESCAC and are first in the Division III national power rankings. Saturday's loss gives the Middlebury game added importance, since Tufts may have to win nearly all of its remaining NESCAC games to ensure a postseason birth.
"We're going to have to work on everything pretty quickly," Rappoli said. "We're starting to run out of NESCAC games."
While all of Jumbos' remaining games are against NESCAC teams, each one will be crucial, and the team is now performing under a considerable amount of pressure. Only the top seven teams advance to the NESCAC tournament, and Tufts currently stands in ninth place. If Saturday's effort is any indication, though, Tufts stands a chance to up its position.
"We performed well today," Rappoli said. "I'm very pleased with our effort."
