Last week, after winning the NESCAC field hockey tournament, Tufts hosted the first three rounds of the Division III field hockey tournament.
“We had made it a goal to host the sweet sixteen and elite 8 so the players were really excited to play on our home field,” Head Coach Tina Mattera wrote in an email to the Daily.
The Jumbos, ranked at No. 3, automatically made it to the second round of the tournament, where they faced Rowan University on Nov. 16. Coach Mattera wrote that the team used their week off to rest, saying, “We took time to focus on more tactics instead of working out hard. We also watched film and worked on corners so that we were ready for both teams over the weekend.”
Rowan started the game dominating possession and was able to penetrate Tufts’ defensive end early in the first quarter. Within the first four minutes of the game, Rowan scored with a shot from the top of the circle by forward Allie Palumbo assisted by midfielder Paige Gray.
The goal seemed to spark a new energy in the Jumbos, as they turned up the pressure and intensity, registering nine shots in the first quarter. Tufts successfully tied the game with three minutes and 47 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Senior forward/midfielder Lainie Pearson collected the rebound of a shot and placed it into the back of the cage for her first goal of the season.
This intensity continued for the remainder of the game as Tufts dominated possession and advanced the ball relentlessly. Ten minutes and 41 seconds into the second quarter, senior forward Claire Gavin gave the Jumbos the lead after some back-and-forth play in front of the goal.
Despite Rowan’s efforts, the 2–1 score persisted until the Jumbos scored yet again with four minutes and six seconds remaining. This time Gavin sent the ball towards the goal for it to be tipped into goal by senior forward Kylie Rosenquest.
Despite being down a goal early into the game, Tufts finished with a 3–1 victory. Tufts outshot Rowan 28–7 and penalty corners also finished in favor of Tufts 9–3.
Tufts then moved on to face Bates in a quarter-final match-up, their second Elite 8 round appearance in a row. Just a week prior, on Nov. 10, Tufts defeated Bates in a 1–0 shootout victory for the NESCAC championship. It was clear that both teams were eager to play each other again as the game was intense from the moment the whistle blew to start play.
The opening quarter was indecisive, with Tufts narrowly outshooting Bates 3–2 and Bates having the only penalty corner. The Jumbos were able to strike first off of a penalty corner five minutes into the second quarter. The initial shot was taken from the top of the circle by Pearson and was tipped in by senior midfielder Kayleigh McDonald, giving Tufts the edge. Tufts retained the lead for the remainder of the second quarter and the majority of the second half of the game.
After a scoreless third quarter, Bates entered the fourth quarter motivated to prolong their season, playing with speed, pressure and intensity. Their efforts proved fruitful as Bates was able to capitalize on a penalty corner halfway through the final quarter. The game-tying goal was scored by midfielder Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg and assisted by midfielder Anna Cote. While Tufts was unable to regain their lead in the final minutes of the game, their defense was able to hold off the newly motivated Bobcats to send the game into seven-on-seven overtime.
Prior to Saturday’s game against Rowan, Tufts had a four-game streak of going into overtime and then shootouts, with the Nov. 10 game against Bates being the fourth of the streak. Heading into overtime, Tufts and Bates were both in familiar territory.
“The team just yells “we love overtime.” I think we have embraced it and are ready for it,” wrote Coach Mattera.
Tufts was determined to secure their ticket to the next round. They started the 10-minute overtime period with the ball, controlling possession and applying pressure to the Bates defense. The Jumbos took their time, utilizing back passes to maintain possession and waiting for the right moments to advance the ball. One of these moments was identified by junior midfielder Gabby Sousa who sent the ball to sophomore midfielder Reagan Malo. In the circle with a Bates defender on her, Malo sent the ball towards the cage where Rosenquest was waiting to deflect the ball into the cage, winning the game for Tufts two minutes and 51 seconds into overtime.
Tufts finished with five shots on goal and Bates finished with three. Bates had a narrow 6–5 advantage against Tufts in terms of penalty corners. The 2–1 victory sent Tufts to the Final Four.
This will be the team’s first Final Four appearance since 2018, where Tufts beat Johns Hopkins 3–1 before falling to Middlebury College in the National Championship Game. The Jumbos strive to continue their 12-game winning streak as they face rival Williams College on Nov. 22 in Lexington, VA.
Similar to last week’s plan, Mattera said regarding this week’s plan, “We are looking at resting and making sure we have a solid game plan against Williams that we hope to execute [well].” While the Ephs were one of Jumbos’ two regular season losses, the Jumbos were victorious in their last match-up with Williams during the NESCAC tournament, winning 3–2 in a shootout.
