Fifty−six seconds into Saturday's match against Wesleyan, the women's soccer team's season was in serious jeopardy. Having lost twice in a row, the Jumbos found themselves on the wrong side of a first−minute goal from a Cardinals squad that they had not lost to in four years.
Yet the Jumbos showed the resolve that they have lacked at times in past seasons, equalizing early in the second half on a blistering shot by sophomore midfielder Alix Michael and continuing to press for a win through two overtime periods. Ultimately, the team settled for a hard−fought draw.
Tufts entered a windy Kraft Field with high hopes of notching its second NESCAC win of the season, but less than a minute into the game, Wesleyan sophomore Laura Kurash scored off an unsuccessful Tufts clear attempt, slashing a low ball back across goal and out of the reach of Tufts sophomore goalkeeper Phoebe Hanley.
"It was just a lapse in mental toughness for a second," senior co−captain Sarah Nolet said. "As a team, we really didn't come out mentally the way we needed to. We need to start stronger and really be ready to go from the first whistle."
Now playing from behind, the Jumbos began to get their offense in tune, out−shooting the Cardinals 10−3 in the first half, including a thrilling chance in the 32nd minute. A shot from Jumbo junior midfielder Lauren O'Connor trickled past the Cardinals keeper, but a defender got back just in time to stifle the Jumbos' last real threat of the half.
"All of us were pretty frustrated [at halftime]," Michael said. "We had opportunities in the first half, but we didn't take that last step to get the ball in the back of the net."
The Jumbos had the wind at their backs in the second half and did not hesitate to take advantage. Six minutes in, Michael rode a free kick with a lot of pace past the Wesleyan defensive wall, but junior goalie Clare Colton once again made the stop.
But less than a minute later, freshman forward Sophie Wojtasinski found some space down the left side and challenged the keeper yet again. The shot was blocked, but the clearance eventually fell to Michael, who settled it before tucking a beautiful shot into the right corner of the goal. The equalizer was Michael's second goal of the season.
"The ball came out pretty high," Michael said. "I took it down, but it was still bouncing and my goal was just to keep the ball down because the toughest thing when it comes to volleying a shot is not hitting it over the goal. Luckily, I managed to do so."
Now level, the Jumbos continued to push for more. Just seven minutes after the Michael goal, Jumbo junior forward Jamie Love−Nichols looked to put freshman forward Maeve Stewart through for an easy score, but the flag went up for offsides.
In the 83rd minute, it again seemed for a second that the Jumbos had gone in front. Love−Nichols, who finished the game with six shots, had room to work down the right side, faked out a pair of defenders and, approaching the end line, sent a clean cross to the far post. Senior forward Bailey Morgan was there and headed it back across goal, but the ball was just outside the frame.
In the overtime periods, Wesleyan outshot Tufts 5−3, but neither team seemed to have much in the tank.
"Everyone was tired [in overtime] and it was hotter than it has been, which is always tough to play through," Nolet said. "But I don't want to make any excuses; we just didn't get the job done."
It was a disappointing draw for Tufts against a Wesleyan team that they dominated throughout. The Jumbos outshot the Cardinals 22−12 and had the bulk of the scoring opportunities.
"In no way were we happy with the tie, especially knowing we were the better team," Nolet said. "We needed to come out on top, and it is pretty disappointing that we didn't."
The Jumbos now stand in fourth place in the NESCAC, with four points in their three matches. But with powerhouses Williams and Trinity still lurking at the end of their schedule, a pair of wins in Tufts' next two conference matches against Bates and Colby will go a long way toward securing them a home match in the first round of the conference tournament. Yet the Jumbos are staying focused on doing some damage to Wednesday's non−conference foe, the Babson Beavers.
"We haven't really thought about Colby and Bates at this point," Michael said. "The next game on our schedule is Babson and with the record we have right now, we can't be thinking too far ahead. Even though Babson is an out−of−league game, it is still important that we come out and perform well."
