Tufts' win on Oct. 29 against national No. 5 Bowdoin posed a clash of two NESCAC field hockey titans, but the Jumbos' real rival will emerge this weekend. In tomorrow morning's NESCAC semifinals, the national No. 4−ranked Tufts team will play host to No. 19 and sixth−seeded Trinity, the only team to have scarred the Jumbos' otherwise−perfect season.
On Oct. 16, the Bantams walked away with a 2−1 overtime victory over the Jumbos in an eerie repeat of their 2009 regular−season encounter. The Jumbos got the last laugh over the Bantams with a 3−2 win in last year's NESCAC title — Tufts' first NESCAC crown. Now, as the No.1 seed in the NESCAC tournament, the Jumbos look to seek post−season revenge on their biggest rivals once again.
In their first meeting of 2010, the Jumbos fell behind early and found themselves playing to the Bantams' whim. This time around, the Jumbos are committed to staying loyal to their composed, short−pass style and exploiting Trinity's strict reliance on run−and−gunning.
"We're watching a lot of film and working on our game, because last time we didn't play our game for the first 20 minutes and that hurt us in the loss," coach Tina McDavitt said. "I think if we just stick with how we play and take care of the ball, we'll be fine. … We're working on pressuring, too, since Trinity tends to slam the ball a lot."
If Tufts keeps up its strong play from this season, it will likely be enough for a win. The Jumbos' offense currently ranks third in the conference with 3.73 goals per game, and the defense averages a league−best .46 goals given up a game.
"I think for us the biggest factor is going to be confidence in our style of play and from the first minutes of play that we control the pace," sophomore midfielder Rachel Gerhardt said. "We want to simplify the game … going from making one good pass or one good play and going from there. We just need to make sure we play composed."
Senior forward Tamara Brown will be a key performer for the Jumbos up front. Brown leads the NESCAC in goals and points with 23 and 52, respectively. On the other side of the ball, junior Taylor Dyer has emerged as the heart of the defense and will work to shut down a quick Trinity squad and help classmate goalkeeper Marianna Zak earn the team's 10th shutout.
But the Bantams have some all−stars on their end as well. The All−NESCAC trio of senior co−captains Christy Bradley and Robyn Williams and junior Payson Sword will come out swinging. Bradley paces the offense with a team−leading 26 points, while Sword and Williams are tied for second with 21 points each. The Bantams' attack turned it on in the postseason, upsetting NESCAC No. 3 Middlebury in the quarterfinals with three second−half goals. The Bantams will be doubly motivated, as they are playing in a do−or−die situation, trying to earn an at−large bid to the NCAA tournament that would be hard to come by otherwise for a team currently 9−6 and outside the national top 15.
Tomorrow will be the fourth tournament meeting between these two teams in the past five years. The Jumbos have won every time, but on each occasion the Bantams were just one goal short. To win and advance to Sunday's final against either Bowdoin or fourth−seeded Amherst, the Tufts offense will need to put their finishing problems to rest, and the defense must expect the fastest attack they have seen thus far this season.
"We need to be ready for every situation," McDavitt said. "Whether it be being down by one or up by one, we need to be ready for everything."
Fans from both sides are sure to turn up for this showdown, but nothing can negate the fact that Tufts has a home−field advantage on their side.
"Obviously to play home and to have the opportunity to win at home is huge," Gerhardt said. "It's one of the ultimate goals we have at the beginning at the season. Right now, the overall feeling in the locker room is not nerves: it's confidence and an overall feeling that we know we can do this."
