When the Tufts women's soccer team takes to Cole Field in Williamstown on Saturday in its NESCAC semifinal matchup, it will have to contend with the two-time defending NESCAC champion Williams Ephs. But if you ask the Jumbos, they are relishing the opportunity to get a second look at the undefeated and nationally ranked No. 2 Ephs (15-0-0, 9-0-0 NESCAC), particularly after the result from the last time the teams met.
"I think we are really excited," junior defender Sarah Nolet said. "Anytime you play a good team like that, it gets you pumped up. It's really hard to beat a good team twice, so I think they will have trouble beating us again and especially since that goal they scored was on a questionable hand ball. So I think it is exciting that we will get to face them again, and it will be fair and square."
"I think we are more ready than ever, especially mentally because we always know we can play well," senior goalkeeper Kaitlin Minnehan said. "It is just a matter of getting pumped up. It is basically do or die at this point."
The game will be a rematch from two weeks ago, when the Jumbos suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss on the aforementioned controversial goal in the last five minutes of the game. Senior tri-captain Brianna Wolfson scored the game-winner for the Ephs, but the Jumbos held an offense that averages 3.40 goals a game to just the single score on the day. While some teams might be intimidated by the Ephs' impressive statistics and undefeated record, the Jumbos' recent performance gives them the confidence heading into Saturday.
"Going in, we know we can beat them, and that is what makes us so excited," Minnehan said. "There is no doubt in our minds; it is just a matter of how the game plays out.
"On other teams people second guess a little bit, but since we played them so well, that makes it a little better going in because we know what we can do," she continued. "And we really have nothing to lose; they are the ones who are undefeated, so that gives us even more motivation."
Still, the Jumbos will be hard-pressed to duplicate their strong defensive effort on Saturday. The Ephs' top offensive threats, junior Annelise Snyder and sophomore Brett Eisenhart, have combined for 22 goals this season and will be a tough test for the Tufts defense. But Tufts has allowed just 10 goals all year, and the team feels that its defense will be up for the challenge come Saturday.
"I think our defense has been strong and playing consistently," Nolet said. "I think we are averaging less than a goal against us a game, and our goalie Kaitlin has been playing really well, so we are excited to have her behind us.
"As far as Saturday, we have to play well; a big thing is energy, so we are lucky we will be going there on Friday," she continued. "So we will hopefully come out Saturday with a lot of energy and ready to play well for a full 90 minutes."
The Jumbos will need to find a way to get their offense in gear if they are going to pull off the upset and hand the Ephs their first loss of the season. Tufts suffered a second consecutive 1-0 defeat at the end of the regular season to Bowdoin, but the squad got back on track by scoring two goals against Trinity last weekend in the first round of the NESCAC tournament.
The Ephs have the stingiest defense in the conference, having allowed just three goals in their 15 games. The last team to score on Williams, which boasts a solid goalie tandem of senior Lauren Sinnenberg and junior Julia Schreiber, was Trinity on Oct. 11. Nonetheless, the Jumbos are taking lessons from their last meeting in an effort to solve the problems posed by the Ephs' defense.
"The forwards have been talking about how they used the first game to figure out how their defense was working because they only play three in the back," Minnehan said. "Williams gives us a little more space, so our forwards learned that and they know going in how they can adapt to that different situation, so it will be fun to watch."
The Jumbos last scored against Williams on Oct. 21, 2006. Furthermore, that game was the last time anybody beat Williams in the regular season. As such, Tufts knows the road to victory will not be easy. If the Jumbos can somehow strike first, however, they know it can rattle Williams and provide an opportunity to pull off the upset.
"What we noticed is once they scored, they drop someone else in the back," Minnehan said. "We did have some chances that were inches off last time. So we definitely have the opportunity … If we come out strong, it will surprise them and set them back."
With their relative success against the Ephs two weeks ago, coupled with their recent string of strong play, the Jumbos feel they are primed to make their first NESCAC final appearance since 2005.
"I think we have been playing really well and hopefully getting that home game and getting the win [against Trinity] is a sign that our luck is turning," Nolet said. "Hopefully things will go well this weekend."
