In its most lopsided victory of the year, the women's soccer team decimated Simmons College 5-0 yesterday, building confidence for its important NESCAC game against Trinity tomorrow. Tufts outshot Simmons 53-2 in the contest, controlling play from the opening kick until the closing whistle. With the win, Tufts improved its record to 7-4, while Simmons slipped to 5-6.
"I thought today was great," coach Martha Whiting said after the game. "We played hard and capitalized on our chances - something we didn't do against Brandeis last week."
The first half of the game resembled earlier non-conference matches for Tufts, with a barrage of shots but very few goals on the board. The Jumbos put up 28 shots in the first half but scored only once, as many shots ricocheted off of the crossbar.
The second half was a different story, though, as Tufts went on a scoring rampage, led by midfielder Becky Mann. The senior had a goal and two assists, while freshman midfielder Becky Greenstein notched two goals and an assist.
"It's great that we finally had this huge burst of scoring and were able to finish shots," Mann said. "It's really good for morale, and it shows us that we will be able to finish shots in big games where we don't have as many scoring opportunities."
Simmons only posed one threat in the game. Early in the second half, the team had a clear look at the goal, but could not convert. The squad also produced three straight corner kicks, but the Jumbo defense was able to subdue any possible attack.
Tufts was able to maintain its level of intensity for the entire 90 minutes of the contest - a feat which has been absent in the majority of outings this year. Case in point: Greenstein broke through two lackadaisical defenders on a botched clear with less than two minutes left to net the final goal of the game.
"That is what we need," Whiting said. "Players playing to the last whistle is something that you love to see as a coach."
With the team running up the score, Whiting was also able to rest some of her work-weary starters, who are in the middle of an eight-day stretch with four games. Freshman Lindsey Wolejko scored her second goal of the season off of the bench. "It shows that anyone on the team can produce when called upon," Mann said of the bench players' contributions.
Also appearing on the score sheet were sophomore Jess Trombly, who netted her team-leading fourth goal of the year, and sophomore Alle Sharlip, who had an assist.
The Jumbos will now have to channel their confidence into a more important NESCAC match-up with Trinity (6-5, 2-4) tomorrow at home. Tufts, 4-3 in conference play, has lost three of its last four games in NESCAC play but could clinch a spot in the conference tournament with a win tomorrow. Trinity has won five of its last seven games and should provide a much higher level of competition than Simmons.
"I'm really excited about coming off of this win, and playing Trinity," Whiting said. "If we go into the tournament as we are peaking, that will be a great thing."
@s:Women's soccer psyched for Saturday's Trinity game
