When the Tufts women's soccer team travels to Bowdoin to take on the Polar Bears on Friday in their final NESCAC game of the regular season, there will be plenty at stake.
And while revenge may be on the Jumbos minds, earning home field in their NESCAC championship opener is at the top of the list of the team's priorities.
With a win over Bowdoin, the Jumbos would be guaranteed the number four seed in the NESCAC tournament, which clinches them a home game at Kraft Field. But Tufts cannot get caught looking ahead, as the Polar Bears are a formidable foe.
Led by sophomore forward Ellery Gould, who is tops in the NESCAC with 12 goals, the Polar Bears are currently sixth in the league and will be looking to go into their matchup Sunday, most likely with Middlebury, on the heels of a victory.
"We are preparing for Bowdoin like we prepare for every game; it doesn't matter what team we are playing," senior co-captain forward Whitney Hardy said.
The last time the Jumbos met Bowdoin was in the first round of the NESCAC tournament last year, when, despite dominating the game and having three times as many shots as the Polar Bears, Tufts bowed out on penalty kicks.
"There is always a feeling of revenge, so it's definitely going to be on our minds," Hardy said.
After starting their NESCAC season slowly, with close losses to NESCAC heavyweights Middlebury and Amherst, the Jumbos have responded well, winning four of their last six conference games. Tufts is also coming off of a hard-fought effort versus Williams, the No. 1 team in Div. III, a game which the Jumbos lost on a goal in the last five minutes.
"We were really proud of how we played against Williams, and that only upped our confidence that we can play with the best," said junior midfielder Geneva DeGregorio. "Going into Bowdoin, we are not taking them lightly but we are defiantly confidant."
Experienced senior co-captains Hardy and Cara Cadigan, who have seven and three goals respectively, have led the Jumbos in the attacking third while fellow senior Fanna Gamal has picked up her play as of late in the midfield. But it is the defense, anchored by the steady play of senior goalkeeper Kate Minnehan and junior defenders Sarah Nolet and Audrey Almy, that has shone brightest in the Jumbos' victories.
Minnehan has delivered a shutout in all seven of the Jumbos wins, and Tufts is tied for second in the NESCAC with only eight goals allowed on the season.
If Tufts earns a victory against Bowdoin, it will get the chance to host the Trinity Bantams in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament on Sunday. The Jumbos could only muster a tie against Trinity earlier this year in a game that finished 1-1 in double overtime. But Tufts had a number of chances in extra time that it could not capitalize on, and the Jumbos dominated much of the game despite their losing score.
The victor of that game is likely to face Williams, which has won the NESCAC the past two seasons and is undefeated this year with a 13-0 record, including a perfect 8-0 record in NESCAC play. The Jumbos would relish a chance to get another crack at the Ephs after their near upset, but they are careful not to get ahead of themselves.
"We are trying to take it one game at a time," said Hardy, "but down the road we are looking forward to playing Williams and beating them."
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