Over the last three seasons, this year's senior class notched 31 wins, helping coach Martha Whiting to compile her 10th, 11th and 12th consecutive winning seasons, and propelling the team to its first NCAA Final Four appearance in the program's history.
Despite all their past successes, the Jumbos had never won their Opening Day showdown with Colby.
That changed on Saturday.
Though playing with a new formation and without two of its starters, Tufts still managed a 2-0 win over the Mules, taking the first step toward an elusive NESCAC title, one of the few things missing from the senior class's already-impressive r?©sum?©.
"It was really exciting to come out and get a win, because the first game is usually iffy in terms of figuring out how to handle different game situations," senior co-captain Annie Benedict said. "Colby always gives us trouble in the beginning of the season, and even though we didn't have all our subs, we still came out strong. It was promising."
Neither senior co-captain Martha Furtek nor senior Julia Brown dressed for Saturday's game, but the squad still showed the poise of a club stocked with seasoned players. Brown was out of town for a family obligation, while Furtek was recovering from a lower right ankle sprain sustained during a scrimmage against Bowdoin on Sept. 2.
The Jumbos had just three subs, yet with their new 4-3-3 formation, they still ran Colby into the ground, launching 20 shots compared to the Mules' nine.
"We started off a little shaky, but once we got the feel for each other, we started overwhelming them offensively," senior defenseman Joelle Emery said. "We got some great opportunities to get shots off, and with three subs. That kind of play was a tribute to how hard we've been working."
Indeed, much of the offseason was devoted to learning the new set, which differs from the 4-4-2 the team has used since the seniors first took the field in 2004. As many of last season's struggles were due to low offensive numbers, this new formation promotes a more aggressive attack, relying on the outside forwards and defenders to effectively transition.
"We have three center midfielders on the team that can be successful with the formation and can transition quickly, which will create more offensive opportunities," Furtek said. "The past few years the defense has been very solid, but we've outplayed teams in games and haven't been able to score. I think [Whiting] saw the potential in this group of players to get the ball up the field quickly.
"We're finally catching on," she continued. "The preseason was a bit frustrating. We had no idea what we were doing - it was hard to work out, position-wise. [Saturday] we had a lot of anxiety, but the way we played was reassuring."
Tufts showed its inexperience with the set in the first half, unable to play with the type of fluidity that has characterized its game in past years. After a scoreless first half, Tufts looked like a different team in the second, anticipating two steps ahead, passing efficiently, and ultimately controlling the game. In the second half, Tufts launched 12 shots while Colby managed just two.
Sophomore Cara Cadigan, who missed all of last year with a torn ACL, put the team on the board eight minutes into the second. Dribbling toward the net, Cadigan pulled back, got a step on her defender and launched the ball past the goalie.
Twenty minutes later, senior Rebecca Abbott sealed the deal, grabbing a free kick from senior Jessie Wagner and heading it into the left corner of the goal.
But the story of the day was on the defensive end, where sophomore goalie Kate Minnehan recorded a shutout in her first career start.
"It was important for her, but it wasn't a surprise for any of us," Furtek said. "She's a great goalie; we feel comfortable having her back there. And she plays with confidence because we instill that in her."
Of course, with Benedict and Emery stabilizing the defense, the team had little to be concerned about in the backfield.
"Our defense was really solid whenever they crossed midfield," Furtek said. "With the new formation, we transitioned quickly and didn't give them much of a chance to materialize their offense."
The Jumbos hope that type of play will carry over to tomorrow's showdown with Wheaton, a game Whiting's squad dropped 1-0 last year.
