On Tuesday night, the field hockey team found itself facing a handful of firsts: It was the Jumbos' first game away from home, their first game on Astroturf and their first game against a nationally ranked opponent in the No. 16 Babson Beavers, who were a perfect 4-0 heading into the game.
But thanks to a pair of goals from sophomore Tamara Brown and junior Amanda Russo, "first loss" didn't make the list for Tufts as it improved to 4-0.
The Jumbos, who climbed up the national rankings to No. 12 after Saturday's 5-0 dismantling of Colby, took down the Beavers 2-1. While the team's offense has proven its mettle so far this season, scoring a total of 21 goals in the first three matchups alone, the Beavers tested the Jumbos' defensive skills, and the results were good — the Beavers put up a measly two shots over the course of the entire game
"Babson did a really good job on spreading out the field on offense; we had to adjust defensively to block up their free hits," senior-tri-captain Brittany Holiday said. "I think we did a really good job staying composed on defense. We recognized when the transfer was on and made good connections around the back."
"Our defense is really strong this year," coach Tina McDavitt said. "Everyone knows what they're doing, and we also have a strong couple of kids coming off the bench on defense."
With its defense in place, Tufts needed to adjust to playing on Babson's artificial turf, which generally lends itself to faster and bouncier ball movement, requiring more speed and stronger positioning to control the ball. But the Jumbos embraced the change, taking advantage of the turf's unique properties.
"That kind of surface really complements our game," Brown said. "Our team is big on passing sequences and transfer balls, so it was a lot of fun to be able to play on their field."
Brown, who leads the team in scoring this season with eight goals, was recently named NESCAC Field Hockey Co-Player of the week, along with Wesleyan goalkeeper junior Breen McDonald. After sitting out last season with a torn ACL, her return to the team has benefited the Jumbos immensely. Brown played a key role in attacking the goal on Tuesday, scoring the first tally of the game at the 21:55 mark.
"Tamara did a great job taking on players one-on-one and then setting up plays in the offensive end," Holiday said. "She carried the ball down the field and scored on an awesome shot from the end line."
The squad bolstered its lead early in the second half when Russo, who led Tufts in shots, capitalized on a ball that had been deflected by Babson goalkeeper freshman Jessica Pashos. The goal was the second of the season for Russo, who also has a team-high five assists.
"Amanda has been a really solid contributor to the team, but this year we're seeing something different from her," McDavitt said. "She has more strength, more vision, she's more composed, and she really knows where she's supposed to be on the field."
Late in the second half, the Beavers retaliated when freshman Erika Hansen scored on Tufts' goalkeeper, freshman Marianna Zak. Hansen's goal was the first of the season allowed by Zak, who played all 70 minutes against Babson and Colby after splitting the first two games of the season with sophomore Katie Hyder.
"The girls were tired in the last 10 minutes when Babson scored," McDavitt said. "They had to adjust their legs to running on Astroturf."
But the Jumbos fought through the fatigue to seal the victory and preserve their undefeated record. Their next challenge awaits them Saturday in a conference showdown against the 0-2 Conn. College Camels.
"We're looking at each game as our biggest game of the season, and each win is another win under our belt," Brown said. "This past weekend, Colby was our biggest game of the season. Tuesday, Babson was our biggest game, and now that we have that win, we'll look ahead to Conn. College on Saturday as our biggest game of the season."
"We have to keep competing against ourselves," McDavitt said. "Every player on our team should be better than every player on the teams we face. I'm really pleased with the way the team is playing right now, but we have a long way to go."
