Tufts women’s soccer stepped onto Jackson Field in Connecticut last weekend ready to take on Wesleyan University in their fifth NESCAC game of the season. Tufts came into the weekend with a 4–1–1 record, but, after a 2–0 win against No. 7 nationally ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Wednesday, they were feeling good about their upcoming games.
Still, in practices leading up to the game, the Jumbos worked hard on new strategies. Junior forward Elsi Aires commented on the team’s mindset heading into the game.
“Prior to Saturday's game, we were really focusing on how we can build out from the back as a team. We usually tend to follow some of the same habits where we like doing what we're comfortable with… [which] sometimes can be a little predictable, so it was nice that the coaching staff was supporting us and coming up with new ideas and encouraging us to be a more creative team.”
The Jumbos’ confidence was evident within the first minute of the game, when sophomore forward Waverly Sumner took the ball on a sprint down the left wing before crossing it to graduate student forward Nicola Sommers. Sommers settled the ball with one touch and neatly put it in the back of the Cardinals' net..
After watching the Jumbos celebrate their early lead, the Cardinals reacted to the surprise goal by stepping up their intensity. The Cardinals were undefeated this season with a 5–0–1 record heading into the game. They quickly pushed back against the Jumbos and were rewarded with a goal of their own in the 12th minute of the game by Wesleyan forward Maria Utz, who powered a shot past the Tufts goalkeeper from outside the penalty box. Defender Maddy Reynolds got the assist.
Aires thought that the Jumbos’ early goal might have affected the team’s mentality.
“It's always such a great feeling when we start off the game by scoring,” she said, noting that the Jumbos had scored an early goal in many of their last few games. “I think what's really important for us is once that does happen, we can't switch off, and we need to keep the same game intensity throughout the entire game. I think we did get a little lackadaisical when it came to scoring right off the bat in the first half … and we ended up suffering the consequences of that.”
The first half continued with the Jumbos and Cardinals matching each other’s physicality and intensity. Shots from both teams kept the match balanced until the 25th minute, when the Cardinals managed to take the lead. Utz, keeping up her successful streak thus far, got the assist with a cross to midfielder/forward Katie O’Connell who cleanly slipped the ball past the Tufts goalkeeper.
“I think we got a little complacent with the results from Wednesday's game [against MIT] and didn't have the same amount of energy that we had brought to that game coming into this one,” Aires said.
Aries explained how, even though the Jumbos were down 2–1 at the half, they kept working to turn things around.
“I think, during halftime, we really got our act together. [Head Coach] Martha [Whiting] was really hyping us up, and we were able to bring back that energy in the second half.”
As they hoped, the Jumbos came into the second half with a newfound fire. In the first half, the Cardinals outshot them eight shots to four, but in the second half, they outshot the Cardinals eight shots to one. They were, however, unable to make another goal, and the game ended with the score in Wesleyan’s favor. The Cardinals’ undefeated streak remained intact.
Despite the loss, the Jumbos were proud of their second half intensity. Aries commended the team for how they responded to the Cardinals’ strategic gameplay.
“A good takeaway [from the game] for me is that we were able to turn our game around. … In the first half, we were playing like we were individuals, and after our halftime discussion, we really decided that we needed to play like a team,” Aires said. “I think our performance definitely changed from the first [to the] second half.”
As the team looks forward to the next part of the season, they plan to move on from the loss and work towards successful future games.
“For the rest of the season, we’re mainly just focusing on taking everything one step at a time. … We’re reaching about the midway point of our season, so we know it's a long one, and it has gone by very fast, and I think we're looking ahead too much,” said Aires. “We really need to take it one step at a time.”
In their next game, Tufts will take on Trinity College at home on Saturday in their sixth NESCAC game of the season.
