It looks a lot like 2005 in the world of Tufts women's soccer.
The Jumbos once again have a breakout star whose offensive outpouring has her on her way to a record-setting year. Two years ago, it was eventual NESCAC Player of the Year and First Team All-American Ariel Samuelson.
This time around, it's sophomore Cara Cadigan, whose hot foot has led the Jumbos to five straight wins and has spurred talk of another fairytale fall run.
Cadigan notched her NESCAC-leading seventh goal of the season, the only offense on either side as the women's soccer team beat league rival Bates, 1-0, in Lewistown, Maine. The win, the fifth straight for the Jumbos, kept their undefeated conference record intact.
"I think the team as a whole is playing great together," Cadigan said. "When someone is in the right position, they get them the ball. [Lately], I've been in the right position."
Cadigan accounted for all the offense, with a tally in the eighth minute off a pass from sophomore Ali Maxwell near the top of the box. Just seven games into the season, with at least seven more guaranteed, Cadigan is already tied for the fourth-highest single-season goal total in program history. The Nahant, Mass. native needs just four more goals to tie Lisa Raffin's 26-year-old school mark for goals in a season.
More importantly, the Jumbos scored a key conference win against a Bates team that upset them in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament last season. The majority of the game's action took place in the first half, during which each team had its share of scoring chances. In the third minute, Bates senior goalkeeper Nini Spalding came up with a big save on a shot from senior co-captain Martha Furtek. Five minutes later, Bates senior Molly Wagner ripped a shot off the crossbar and the right post, but sophomore goalkeeper Kate Minnehan was there just in time to make one of her six saves on the afternoon.
Late in the second half, the Jumbos nearly increased their lead when freshman Geneva DeGregorio's shot was rocketing toward the top corner of the net, before Spalding made another impressive save.
Despite the myriad chances seen by the Bobcats, who edged Tufts 13-12 in overall shots, one goal proved to be enough for the Jumbos, as the defense posted another strong effort. Led by seniors Annie Benedict and Joelle Emery, Tufts looked strong in the transition game and was able to consistently push the ball upfield. Freshman Sarah Nolet has also found a place on the Jumbos' back four, and played a major role in Saturday's win.
"We have a lot of veterans on the defense," senior co-captain Martha Furtek said. "They're good at covering each other if someone steps up. Working as a unit and stepping up has helped a lot."
"I feel like the defense is working very well together," Cadigan added. "[Nolet] is doing great. They can automatically transfer it to find the offense."
Sophomore Kate Minnehan, in her first season as the Jumbos' starting goalkeeper, was outstanding again, stopping all six shots she faced to earn her fourth shutout of the season. Minnehan has allowed just two goals in over 600 minutes this season.
"I credit most of it to the defense," Minnehan said. "I could never do it without them. They're easy to control, and they listen to everything I say, which makes it a lot easier."
Despite Minnehan's humility, her teammates had plenty of good things to say about her success in the Jumbo goal.
"Kaitlin's doing amazing in goal," Cadigan added. "She's always where she needs to be, and she's not afraid to tell us where to move."
"She came up with a lot of great saves yesterday," Furtek said. "We're confident with her back there."
A twinge of revenge was in the air for this conference rivalry. In last year's NESCAC Tournament, seventh-seeded Bates upset No. 2 Tufts on a controversial goal in overtime. The Bobcats also beat the Jumbos in the 2005 NESCAC Championship game.
"It got into our heads a little bit," Furtek said. "Bates has had a rough season so far, and we knew that, but we also knew there was a rivalry between these two teams."
While the Jumbos have dominated the NESCAC thus far, a few challenging opponents still await before the team can think about winning the regular-season title. Already, however, players and coaches have noticed a dramatic improvement from last season's team, which finished in second place in the NESCAC.
"I think we're very capable," Cadigan said of a possible conference title. "We've shown that when we come up against a hard team, we play our best and normally come out on top. Hopefully that will show against the teams we're about to play."
"We have a great chance," Furtek added. "We haven't played a solid 90 minutes of soccer in any of our wins, and we're definitely a second-half team. If we pull it together and we can play two halves of soccer, then there isn't a team in the NESCAC who can beat us."
