Although it didn't end the way anyone wanted, the 2009 field hockey season was an impressive follow-up to Tufts' groundbreaking 2008 campaign. Despite falling 1-0 to the eventual national champion, Salisbury University, in the NCAA semifinals, the Jumbos have a lot to be proud of.
This season saw a long list of accolades for the program: a NESCAC Coach of the Year award, the NESCAC Player of the Year, three National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Americans, the New England West Region Player of the Year award, five All-Region selections, two Senior-All Star picks and the program's first NESCAC Championship Title.
"I think that the season overall was very successful," senior co-captain midfielder Margi Scholtes said. "And even though we didn't win the national championship, we won our first NESCAC tournament at Trinity, which is such a huge accomplishment along with our record of 18-2."
"It's a little bit bitter, sure," senior defender Emma Kozumbo said. "The wound is definitely still there, but one championship at a time. It was a huge step winning NESCACs."
Last year, it was Bowdoin that dashed Tufts' hopes of the conference and national titles, defeating the Jumbos by one goal in both championship games. But with the Polar Bears absent from the NCAA Tournament, the Jumbos were suddenly the team everyone wanted to beat.
"Because we did so well last year, we were just really excited to play at the highest level we could again," junior midfielder Jess Perkins said. "We knew that we had some big shoes to fill, but we also wanted to prove the strength of our program by having a successful postseason with a new team."
For the first 10 games, no one could beat Tufts. Possible threats Middlebury and Amherst were defeated in two-goal games in the first week, and it seemed the Jumbos were well on their way to another perfect regular season. Then, on Oct. 17, Tufts came face-to-face with the only other undefeated team left in the conference: Trinity. Falling 2-1 in overtime and giving up the NESCAC No. 1 spot, the Jumbos had to regroup after their first regular season loss in 30 games. The team went on to shut out its next five opponents, outscoring their challengers 19-0, heading into the postseason 13-1 overall with their sights set on the title and a rematch with the Bantams on Trinity's turf.
"After the first Trinity game, we were really disappointed," Perkins said. "But I think it ended up benefitting us to have a humbling experience in the regular season. It forced us to work that much harder so we were more prepared come playoffs."
Entering the NESCAC Tournament as the second seed didn't slow down the squad, as the Jumbos continued to win big. They easily handled Wesleyan and Williams 2-0 and 3-0 respectively to earn a chance at revenge. The Jumbos took advantage of their second shot at the Bantams, coming through with a 3-2 victory and earning a championship in the hardest conference in Div. III.
"I think beating Trinity for the second time was big because it showed we could bounce back from not having the undefeated season we had going into NESCACs last year," Kozumbo said. "Revenge was sweet."
With the title, No. 4 Tufts was guaranteed one of the 24 spots in the NCAA Tournament. The Jumbos' record helped them earn the right to host the second and third rounds on Bello Field and a bye for the first round of play. MIT won the chance to take on the Jumbos but fell 5-1. The next day, Tufts sent Skidmore College home in a 4-1 victory and punched their second consecutive ticket to the Final Four and a face-off with four-time champ Salisbury.
However, the celebration didn't last as long as the Jumbos had hoped. Junior forward and NESCAC Player of the Year Tamara Brown, a junior who became the program's leading scorer this season, had a pulled hamstring and was not able to perform at her full potential. Kozumbo fell ill before the trip and, despite planning on starting symbolically, was not able to have her usual impact. Then, the day before the game, head coach Tina McDavitt was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. She would not be able to coach her team against their toughest competition yet. But, despite these cards stacked against them, the team took the field confident in their depth and assistant coaches Dani Ryder and Craig Rowe.
But in the first half, more bad luck befell the Jumbos. NFHCA New England West Region Player of the Year and First-Team All American Scholtes was removed from the game with a broken hand. In the second half, Salisbury put one goal in on the handicapped Jumbos, and time ran out before they could mount a comeback.
"Basically it was an unlucky end to an otherwise amazing season," NFHCA All-Star forward and senior co-captain Amanda Russo said. "I think it set the groundwork for next year ... winning NESCACs was a huge accomplishment, and simply making the semifinals of the NCAA tournament is nothing to be ashamed of. We just have a lot to be proud of this season. I think we had a really strong [senior] class, but the underclassmen are ready to fill our roles because our depth was one of our strengths all season and it really showed at the end with everyone stepping up in a difficult situation."
Tufts will say goodbye to an extremely strong senior class in Russo, Scholtes, Kozumbo and Michelle Kelly, a 2008 All-Tournament selection and the team's second-leading scorer. This season, the class of 2009 combined for 31 goals and 78 points. Russo and Kelly controlled the wings on offense while Scholtes dominated in the midfield. Kozumbo was the rock on the left side of the defense, helping to keep Tufts' opponents to 12 goals all season.
"Looking back, it's been a journey, to say the least," Kozumbo said. "When I got here we weren't as strong as we are today, and Tina [McDavitt] has just had a huge impact of the development on the program, and it's paid off with her winning Coach of the Year twice in a row. I feel honored to have played with this team for four years."
"It's just pretty amazing coming from my freshman year to see the progression and watch the younger girls adapt so quickly coming in with high expectations that I never had," Kelly added. "I'm definitely going to miss all the girls on the team and watching everyone improving ... I think that whoever replaces us in the lineup will just keep it going and bringing it forward. There won't be a change in momentum at all."
The Jumbos' roster is stacked with underclassmen talent. Brown shattered the program's career points and goal totals this season, tallying 21 goals and 55 points for the team in just two complete seasons as she missed most of her first year due to an ACL injury. She also led the conference in every offensive category. Junior midfielder Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Region selection Amanda Roberts, known for elite athleticism and remarkable stick-handling, will join Brown on attack next year. The forward line will also see more time from impact player junior Melissa Burke, who tallied seven goals, and starting sophomore midfielder Lindsay Griffith, who had three goals and 10 points.
On defense, All-Region Second Team members Perkins and sophomore Taylor Dyer will be returning. Perkins is also the team's penalty corner striker and has 19 offensive points on the season outside of her outstanding defensive efforts. Sophomore Marianna Zak, who saved 45 shots this fall, will also be returning as the Jumbos' goalkeeper.
"So many players improved all season," Kozumbo said. "The freshmen were great, the underclassmen are awesome, and I think they have a great shot at winning the whole thing next year."
