Coming off a disappointing loss to the Brandeis Judges earlier in the week, the Tufts women's soccer team was determined to bounce back and grab another conference win against Colby College on Saturday afternoon.
Not only did they accomplish their goal, but the Jumbos did so in striking fashion by shutting out their opponents en route to a 3-0 victory.
"We all worked very hard and tried not to let the pressure of Homecoming weekend distract us," sophomore Alix Michael said. "Everyone needed to give 110 percent, and it definitely showed."
With the taste of Wednesday's 2-0 home defeat still in their mouths, the Jumbos moved back to one game above .500 in both NESCAC play (3-2) and overall play (5-4) as they inch closer to Middlebury and Amherst, who are tied at 5-1 for second in the NESCAC.
"[Wednesday's loss] gave us a sense of urgency that we needed to pull it together and come out with the energy that was lacking in the Brandeis game," Michael said.
Colby came into the game with a conference record of 1-3-1 but had picked up its first NESCAC win of the season on Wednesday night, a 1-0 victory over Bowdoin. Tufts made it clear from the outset of Saturday's match, however, that Colby's second conference win would have to wait.
"We played the best we have all season," sophomore Lauren O'Connor said. "It's promising to see how much potential we have."
The Tufts offense was strong throughout the game, finishing with 14 shots, and it didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard. The Jumbos made their first successful attack less than seven minutes into the game when senior co-captain Cara Cadigan hit a shot off the crossbar and fellow senior co-captain Whitney Hardy headed the rebound past Colby keeper Loni Pisani to take a 1-0 lead. The goal was Hardy's third of the season, tying her for the team lead.
Cadigan, who was credited with the assist on the goal, then doubled the lead in the 14th minute. After stealing the ball near midfield, she dribbled it deep into Colby's half and finished the breakaway for her second goal of the season.
The second half was strictly a defensive effort for the Jumbos, who did not allow a single Mule shot on goal in the period. Tufts added a third goal to seal the win when junior Bailey Morgan scored off a corner kick in the 76th minute of the game, assisted by O'Connor and junior Audrey Almy.
"We're a strong team defensively; most of the goals that have been scored on us are well-deserved," O'Conner said. "However, finishing can be a struggle for us, but hopefully we've broken out of that now."
Thus far this season, every game but one has been a shutout either by Tufts or by Tufts' opponent. On Saturday, the Jumbos once again proved that when their defense is at its best, they are tough to beat.
"It's hard, if there's a certain flow going for one team, for their opponents to break that flow," Michaels said. "If you're up, then the defense really hunkers down, or the offense tends to keep scoring."
As has been the case all season, Tufts will have little time to celebrate the victory, with Conn. College coming to Kraft Field on Wednesday afternoon. The Camels will be heading into the game winless in conference play, while the Jumbos will look to extend their in-conference win streak to four and remain ahead of Bowdoin for fourth place in the NESCAC.
Since its loss at home to Amherst on Sept. 19, Tufts has not dropped a NESCAC game. Not only are the Jumbos undefeated in conference play since that date, but they have not let up a goal, having record three straight shutouts against conference opponents.
"Our energy and urgency were key aspects of our win this weekend against Colby, and if we can bring that through against Conn. College and the rest of the season, we know we can finish the year off well," Michael said.
