Field hockey records 4-2 win over Trinity

The field hockey team continued its solid start to the season on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Trinity in a NESCAC showdown on Bello Field.

The No. 7-ranked Jumbos extended their record to 3-1 on the season, including a perfect 3-0 mark in conference games. The Bantams, ranked No. 19, fell to 1-3, and 1-2 within the NESCAC. Tufts’ lone defeat thus far came at the hands of Babson in an out-of-conference game on Sept. 15.

“As a team we take each game one at a time," junior midfielder Elle Chrupcala told the Daily in an email. "Any win is satisfying and just continues to push us into working hard to tackle our opponents throughout the season. I think we have adapted well so far throughout the season. We had a tough loss early on that I think has motivated every player to elevate their personal play and focus on each game as it comes."

Tufts opened the scoring with a goal by Chrupcala in the game’s 16th minute. Trinity was playing a man down following a card, and Tufts was able to execute off the corner and capitalize. Senior midfielder Dakota Sikes-Keilp assisted Chrupcala’s goal.

After getting on the board first, the Jumbos stumbled into the halftime intermission. Less than two minutes after scoring, Tufts surrendered the lead. Sophomore forward Kelcie Finn had her first shot blocked off a penalty corner before rebounding and scoring for the Bantams, tying the contest at one goal apiece.

The teams held one another scoreless for the next 10 minutes, but Trinity was able to strike once more before halftime. Junior midfielder Mia Olsen assisted junior forward Sidney Doolittle with a goal in the 29th minute, giving the Bantams a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

At the break, the Jumbos owned a 10-6 shot advantage and a 6-3 edge in corners, but still trailed on the scoreboard. Tufts came out firing following the intermission and changed all that. The Jumbos peppered the Bantams' goal at the start of the half, but were unable to break through. In the 49th minute, Tufts was finally able to tie the score on a goal from first-year midfielder Gigi Tutoni, again assisted by Sikes-Keilp.

Tutoni got on the board once more with a second goal in the 64th minute. Less than a minute later, junior tri-captain forward Dominique Zarrella tallied the Jumbos’ fourth goal of the afternoon. The offensive outburst gave Tufts a 4-2 lead, a score that held up until the game’s final whistle.

“I think that Sunday was an excellent display of the teamwork and composure that embodies [Tufts field hockey]," Chrupcala said. "We worked together to get the job done [and] we focused on keeping our forwards as our first line of defense.”

Tufts finished with a sizable shot advantage of 19 (11 on goal) to seven (four on goal). The team also held a 14-5 edge in corners.

Tufts will continue its six-game, season-opening home stand with an non-conference game tonight against UMass-Dartmouth. The Jumbos hope to carry their momentum from last week's contest over to their next game.

“It is satisfying to beat any opponent, especially when we know that we worked hard as a team, came back from behind, and played together to get the outcome we wanted, a win,” sophomore midfielder Celia Lewis told the Daily in an email. “In my opinion, that is one of the greatest feelings an athlete could ever get.”