A late-game corner kick sealed the deal for Tufts as the womens soccer team walked away with a 2-0 win over Connecticut College on Saturday. Junior Carla Kruyff netted both goals for Tufts in a game that brought the team back to a winning record in the conference.
Kruyff scored both of her goals off of set pieces. The first was a penalty kick at the start of the second half and the second was a header off a corner kick in the last couple minutes of the game. According to senior tri-captain Anya Kaufmann, the team was able to take advantage of opportunities to press for scoring positions and maintained their lead well.
I think we played well, although there were a few periods where we had lapses in energy and were a little slow to the ball, Kaufmann said. But for the most part we had a really good game.
Neither team made huge offensive moves in the first half. Both had five shots on goal in the first, although Conn. College took the upper hand with three corner kicks to Tufts one. According to coach Martha Whiting, the team came out a little sluggishly, although they did a good job on defense by cracking down on the Camels scoring opportunities.
I thought we came out pretty flat, but we played well enough to hold on, she said. We missed some chances but were able to absorb their shots on defense and get to half 0-0.
Kaufmann was not thrilled with how the team played in the first half, especially considering the extra energy the Camels seemed to be getting by holding the Jumbos scoreless.
We were pretty disappointed coming out of the half tied, and I think they were pretty excited to be tied in the first half, Kaufmann said. At halftime we talked about really picking up the energy because we knew we could play better than we were and I definitely think we did that better in the second half.
Two minutes into the second, the Jumbos got their chance. Tufts defense countered a push from Connecticut College by clearing the ball out, and junior Victoria Stoj played a beautiful through ball to Kaufmann who took the breakaway. The Camels freshman keeper Bella Hall came out to counter Kaufmanns run and fouled her just outside the 18-yard box. Kruyff took the penalty shot for the Jumbos and kicked the ball past the wall, just outside of the keepers outstretched hands.
I still marvel at how hard Carla can hit the ball, Whiting said. She can really rip it and she put it in the right spot.
The Jumbos came on energized after the goal and dominated play in the second half without being able to sink one in. It wasnt until the last couple minutes of the game that senior Amanda Neveu curled the ball in off a corner and put the Jumbos into a dangerous opportunity. Sophomore Allie Weiller got a piece of it, as did the keeper, but it was Kruyff who was again able to seal the deal with a header from the 18-yard line.
According to Kaufmann, the team has been working on set pieces during practice and was glad to be able to put those away.
The fact that we were able to score on two set pieces was really great because we have been practicing them a lot, she said. Going forward our goal is to finish the opportunities we have on regular play, not just getting set pieces.
The Jumbos now sit at 4-3 in conference play, in sixth place behind Williams and Bowdoin, two teams that they have yet to play this year. After losing two NESCAC games in a row, the Conn. College win puts Tufts into a stronger position in the conference.
After dominating the conference for most of the season, Trinity is down to second place following loses to both Bowdoin and Middlebury. Middlebury is now the top team in the league with 18 points, three points ahead of Trinity. The next five seeded teams are all within three points of each other, as teams vie for the coveted home-field advantage during playoff matchups. According to Whiting, coming away with the win gives the players both a boost in confidence and a leg up in the standings.
Our team is playing with confidence; we always feel good after a win and I notice a change in tone in practice, she said. Coming out 4-3 versus 3-4 is a huge difference just because of how close the teams all are.
The team takes on Williams this weekend in the first of a string of three away games.
