Tufts field hockey’s lone goal didn’t prove to be enough in their NESCAC conference loss to Wesleyan University. The defeat on Saturday ended the Jumbos’ five-game win streak, moving them to fourth in the conference. Despite the Jumbos outshooting the Cardinals 9–3, Wesleyan forward Teddy Tolbert was assisted by midfielder Brooke Miner for their first goal of the game early in the second quarter, with Miner scoring a goal of her own less than two minutes later on a penalty shot.
The Jumbos dominated the run of play offensively, having more shots on goal than the Cardinals, while also securing a staggering eight penalty corners to the Cardinals two. But as the age old saying goes, “there’s no pictures on the scoreboard,” as it only took three shots on target for Wesleyan to finish the match with a 2–1 win.
When asked about the tactical plan leading up to the game against the Cardinals, senior forward Chloe Brants stated, “We felt like we needed to play less of a running game and play more of a passing game.” The Jumbos’ game plan created early momentum with a goal from graduate student midfielder Andrea DelGiudice in the first quarter following a penalty corner taken by senior midfielder Kayleigh McDonald. Despite Tufts having the lead going into the second quarter of play, Wesleyan soon answered with a goal of their own one minute into the second quarter.
It was neck and neck for all of one minute and 17 seconds, when Wesleyan secured a penalty shot, with Miner for turning it into a goal moments later.
The third quarter offered some hope for Tufts, knowing that they were still in the game just one goal behind. Tufts became an impenetrable force defensively, as the entire second half of the game went without Wesleyan putting a single shot on goal. Meanwhile, for the Jumbos, junior forward Hannah Biccard, senior forward Kylie Rosenquest and sophomore midfielder Reagan Malo all sent shots on goal in the second half, but none made it past Cardinals keeper Audrey Pace, who saved four of the five shots on target from the Jumbos offense in the game.
The last five years of matchups between the Jumbos and Cardinals have been back and forth bouts, with the Jumbos having lost last year against the Cardinals, making this year’s loss their second in a row. That said, Tufts has occasionally put up big numbers in games against Wesleyan, winning 7–0 in 2021 and 8–0 in 2018.
When asked about what the team could work on going forward, Brants answered, “Our energy and our mentality. That’s something that you can always improve on.” She added that the team’s focus would be on being “the best versions of themselves.”
Although the NESCAC loss holds more weight than out of conference play, Tufts field hockey has a whole lot of their season left. With no midweek games this week, the Jumbos will square off against the Trinity College Bantams, who are currently 0–3 in NESCAC conference play, on Saturday.
With the added rest time before their next game, Brants discussed how the Jumbos plan to bounce back from the loss. She pointed to the dedication from her teammates, even with the bad aftertaste of a loss still lingering on their palates.
“[We’re] taking care of our bodies, taking care of each other [and] watching lots of film,” Brants said. “A lot of people are out right now doing extra corners literally as we speak. So we’re putting our heads down this week.”
The Jumbos are taking care of themselves and readying up for another crucial NESCAC game this weekend. With over half of the season still left to play, there is plenty of room for Tufts to climb back up the ranks of the conference with another win this weekend. A victory on Saturday would be the 11th win in a row against the Bantams, and the Jumbos will be fully rested and composed for the matchup.
