Fifty−six seconds into Saturday's match against Wesleyan, the women's soccer team's season was in serious jeopardy. Having lost twice in a row, the Jumbos found themselves on the wrong side of a first−minute goal from a Cardinals squad that they had not lost to in four years.
It was just the first contest of her Tufts career, but it only took Maeve Stewart a little over 10 minutes to produce.
For the past two seasons, the women's soccer team has been on the brink of the NESCAC's top tier. In 2008, a heartbreaking shootout in the conference quarterfinals ended its run, while in 2009, overtime struggles during the regular season led to a fourth seed in the NESCAC tournament and an eventual semifinal exit against top−seeded Williams.
To say the men's soccer team's 2009 season was a disappointment would be a massive understatement.
Rising sophomore Phil Teves is a self-proclaimed sports hater. Ask him about almost any sport, from baseball to football, and he will have an opinion about just how boring and pointless it is. But there is one sporting event that even Teves cannot ignore: the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Less than a week later, the Tufts women's soccer team still has its collective mind on the way its season ended: with a 4-2 NESCAC tournament semifinal loss to eventual conference champions and nationally ranked No. 2 Williams.
Despite a disappointing end to the Tufts women's soccer team's season, senior midfielder Fanna Gamal, pictured right, and junior defender Sarah Nolet received spots on the All-NESCAC first team for the second straight year. Gamal was a catalyst all year at center midfield for Tufts, while Nolet was the anchor of an impressive Jumbos defense and also finished fourth on the team in points.
Having nearly completed an upset of undefeated Williams just two weeks ago, the Tufts women's soccer team found itself back on Cole Field in Williamstown, Mass. with another chance to knock off the No. 2 team in the country. This time around, a ticket to the NESCAC Tournament finals was on the line. The style of Saturday's game was completely different, but the ending was all too familiar: another Williams victory.
When the Tufts women's soccer team takes to Cole Field in Williamstown on Saturday in its NESCAC semifinal matchup, it will have to contend with the two-time defending NESCAC champion Williams Ephs. But if you ask the Jumbos, they are relishing the opportunity to get a second look at the undefeated and nationally ranked No. 2 Ephs (15-0-0, 9-0-0 NESCAC), particularly after the result from the last time the teams met.
For the first 60 minutes of Sunday's first-round playoff matchup with the Trinity Bantams, the women's soccer team experienced a high level of frustration. For the last 30 seconds, they experienced a higher level of anxiety.
When the Tufts women's soccer team travels to Bowdoin to take on the Polar Bears on Friday in their final NESCAC game of the regular season, there will be plenty at stake. And while revenge may be on the Jumbos minds, earning home field in their NESCAC championship opener is at the top of the list of the team's priorities. With a win over Bowdoin, the Jumbos would be guaranteed the number four seed in the NESCAC tournament, which clinches them a home game at Kraft Field. But Tufts cannot get caught looking ahead, as the Polar Bears are a formidable foe. Led by sophomore forward Ellery Gould, who is tops in the NESCAC with 12 goals, the Polar Bears are currently sixth in the league and will be looking to go into their matchup Sunday, most likely with Middlebury, on the heels of a victory. "We are preparing for Bowdoin like we prepare for every game; it doesn't matter what team we are playing," senior co-captain forward Whitney Hardy said. The last time the Jumbos met Bowdoin was in the first round of the NESCAC tournament last year, when, despite dominating the game and having three times as many shots as the Polar Bears, Tufts bowed out on penalty kicks. "There is always a feeling of revenge, so it's definitely going to be on our minds," Hardy said. After starting their NESCAC season slowly, with close losses to NESCAC heavyweights Middlebury and Amherst, the Jumbos have responded well, winning four of their last six conference games. Tufts is also coming off of a hard-fought effort versus Williams, the No. 1 team in Div. III, a game which the Jumbos lost on a goal in the last five minutes. "We were really proud of how we played against Williams, and that only upped our confidence that we can play with the best," said junior midfielder Geneva DeGregorio. "Going into Bowdoin, we are not taking them lightly but we are defiantly confidant." Experienced senior co-captains Hardy and Cara Cadigan, who have seven and three goals respectively, have led the Jumbos in the attacking third while fellow senior Fanna Gamal has picked up her play as of late in the midfield. But it is the defense, anchored by the steady play of senior goalkeeper Kate Minnehan and junior defenders Sarah Nolet and Audrey Almy, that has shone brightest in the Jumbos' victories. Minnehan has delivered a shutout in all seven of the Jumbos wins, and Tufts is tied for second in the NESCAC with only eight goals allowed on the season. If Tufts earns a victory against Bowdoin, it will get the chance to host the Trinity Bantams in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament on Sunday. The Jumbos could only muster a tie against Trinity earlier this year in a game that finished 1-1 in double overtime. But Tufts had a number of chances in extra time that it could not capitalize on, and the Jumbos dominated much of the game despite their losing score. The victor of that game is likely to face Williams, which has won the NESCAC the past two seasons and is undefeated this year with a 13-0 record, including a perfect 8-0 record in NESCAC play. The Jumbos would relish a chance to get another crack at the Ephs after their near upset, but they are careful not to get ahead of themselves. "We are trying to take it one game at a time," said Hardy, "but down the road we are looking forward to playing Williams and beating them."
The Tufts women's soccer team played down to the wire against another of the best teams in the NESCAC on Saturday. And, just like earlier in the season, the Jumbos were left wondering what might have been after losing 1-0 to the nationally ranked No. 1 Williams Ephs.
Dena Feiger, Volleyball - In this past weekend's Hall of Fame Invitational at Smith College, senior co-captain Dena Feiger made her mark. The 25-2 women's volleyball team earned a first place finish, and Feiger won the title of Tournament MVP along the way.
With a crucial matchup against nationally ranked No. 2 Williams looming this weekend, Wednesday night's game against non-conference Salem State had the potential to be a trap game for the women's soccer team. The Jumbos, however, kept their focus on the Lady Vikings and came away with a 2-0 victory in their final non-conference contest of the season. "[Losing focus] was definitely something we had to think about, but our game plan for this season has been focusing on what's important now and taking one game at a time," junior defender Sarah Nolet said. "So we just had to think about tonight and make sure we get [done] what we needed to get done." The Jumbos, as they have throughout their current four-game undefeated streak in which they have gone 3-0-1, controlled the flow of the game, keeping possession for large stretches of time and not allowing Salem State to build any momentum. In anticipation of playing on the slick turf at Salem, Tufts, which usually practices and plays its home games on the grass of Kraft Field, practiced on Bello Field on Tuesday to acclimate itself to the faster surface — an adjustment that paid dividends on Wednesday night. "We were playing on the ground well," Nolet said. "It was nice to practice on the turf [Tuesday] to get an idea of the surface, because we're not really used to it. I think we came out knowing that we had to play the ball on the ground with nice crisp passes to feet, and it worked." After dominating possession for much of the opening half, Tufts got on the board in the 25th minute on a goal by senior co-captain forward Cara Cadigan. The goal, Cadigan's third of the season and first since Homecoming, was scored after a pass from senior midfielder Fanna Gamal. While the goals for Cadigan have not come at the astounding rate that they did in 2007, her last full season for Tufts, she plays an integral part in how the Jumbos advance the ball offensively. "Cara is always a big threat, but people know who she is, so she is usually pretty heavily marked," junior midfielder Geneva DeGregorio said. "We just need her to keep doing what she's doing and have everyone else look to go forward as well." Tufts went into halftime with the 1-0 lead, having outshot Salem State 9-3 and forcing five saves from Lady Viking sophomore goalie Lindsey Burke. The second half featured more of the same style of play, with Tufts controlling the game in the midfield. "Today we had great communication on the field," DeGregorio said. "That was a big thing we really worked on in practice and it proved very helpful." With just under 20 minutes to go, senior co-captain forward Whitney Hardy sealed the victory with her seventh goal of the season, with Gamal once again providing the pass. Wednesday night also marked Hardy's fourth straight game with a goal, which Nolet believes is a testament to Hardy's grit and determination. "Whitney works really hard," Nolet said. "She never gives up and plays with a lot of heart, and that has been showing in the past couple games." A strong Jumbo back line, anchored by Nolet, led to the season's seventh shutout. Senior goalie Kate Minnehan was only forced to make one save, as Tufts outshot the Vikings 16-4. The win moved the Jumbos' record to 7-4-1 and marked the end of the non-conference portion of the schedule, in which they went 3-2. All sights are now set on Williamstown, Mass., where the nation's second-ranked team has dominated opponents both in conference and out, amassing a 12-0 overall record and a 7-0 mark in NESCAC play. The Ephs have outscored their foes by a daunting 45-3 margin, having only allowed goals in three of 12 games played while averaging nearly four goals a game. Offensively, they are led by the duo of junior Annelise Snyder and sophomore Brett Eisenhart, who with 21 combined goals have accounted for almost half of their team's scores on the year. Snyder is the epitome of a super-sub; she is second in the league in goals while only having started two games. The Jumbos, however, remain confident in their ability to contend with any team, regardless of that team's accolades. "Williams is going to be one of the toughest opponents we see all year, but it's definitely a winnable game as long as we come ready to play 90 minutes of the best soccer we've played all year," DeGregorio said. "We're going to focus on what we need to do right, because if we do all the things we're capable of doing, we'll definitely win," Nolet said.
After romping to two straight 3-0 wins at home, the Tufts women's soccer team suffered flashbacks to the beginning of the year in its last home game of the regular season against the Trinity Bantams. In a grueling double-overtime matchup against the sixth place NESCAC foe, the fourth place Jumbos couldn't undo a 1-1 knot by the end of play.
Though the Tufts women's soccer team began its NESCAC slate with losses to both Middlebury and Amherst, it knew that, while losing the games, it played tough against two of the best teams in the region — if not the country. The Jumbos remained confident that they could bounce back from the two losses and regain the form that has made them a perennial contender for the NESCAC crown. After Wednesday night's 3-0 drubbing of Conn. College, the team's fourth straight NESCAC victory, the conference throne may be closer than ever before for Tufts. "It was really important for us not to get down after the early losses," junior midfielder Geneva DeGregorio said. "From the beginning of the season, we've tried to take one game at a time and not look back." The Jumbos got off to a quick start against the Camels, with senior co-captain Whitney Hardy finishing a cross from senior forward Ali Maxwell just four minutes into the game. "Conn. College came out really hard and was hoping to have a chance," sophomore defender Cleo Hirsh said. "They haven't had much success in the NESCAC this season, and they were probably hoping to get out and get a win. So right away that one goal affected them a lot, because they realized that today wasn't going to be their day." Just over 10 minutes later, Hardy would strike again. After a miscue by Conn. College goalie Jenna Ross in the Camels' box, senior co-captain Cara Cadigan fed Hardy, who scored her fifth goal of the season. "Whitney's been doing a really good job of crashing the goals and putting herself in the right place at the right time," DeGregorio said. The Jumbos, however, would not be satisfied with sitting on a 2-0 lead and kept pressuring the Camels. Tufts outshot Conn. College 12-5 in the first half, and with a little over 27 minutes on the clock, junior defender Sarah Nolet would add to the lead. Off a corner kick from sophomore midfielder Lauren O'Connor, the 6-foot-tall Nolet, the team's best aerial threat, headed the ball past Ross to make the score 3-0. "We attacked from all points on the field: from the defense all the way forward," said Hirsch. "We were connecting well with our teammates, we had high energy on the ball, and we were being creative and taking chances." The second half featured no goals, though Conn. College put up more of an offense than it did in the first half. The Camels outshot the Jumbos 6-5 in the second 45 minutes, but senior goalie Kate Minnehan was up to the task, making four saves in the last half to preserve the score. The shutout was the fourth straight for Tufts in NESCAC play. The team has not allowed a goal to a conference opponent since the 52nd minute of the Sept. 19 match against Amherst — a span of over 400 minutes. On Wednesday, the defense once again was superb, disrupting Conn. College's flow of attack and preventing the Camels from getting any real chances on net. "We've been keeping our shape really well," Hirsch said. "If someone goes in to make a tackle and isn't successful, there's always someone backing them up. There's just a lot of support all over the defensive line, so there are no holes." The victory also marked Tufts' tenth consecutive win over Conn. College, five of which have been shutouts. Though Tufts knows it played well against the Camels, who are still winless in NESCAC competition at 0-6, it will have to continue to improve in anticipation of Saturday's match-up with Trinity College. The Jumbos will try to build on their conference winning record and continue their shutout streak on Saturday against a team that defeated them 2-1 last year. The Bantams come into the game with a 3-3-2 record (2-3-1 in NESCAC) and are two spots below Tufts in the conference standings. A win for Trinity would go a long way toward securing a first-round home game in the conference tournament, while a win for Tufts would move the Jumbos closer to the only teams that have scored on them in conference play: Middlebury and Amherst. "Trinity is always a strong opponent, but we're looking forward to redeeming ourselves for last year's loss," DeGregorio said.
Coming off a disappointing loss to the Brandeis Judges earlier in the week, the Tufts women's soccer team was determined to bounce back and grab another conference win against Colby College on Saturday afternoon.
Coming off of its best offensive performance of the season, the Tufts women's soccer team seemed primed to start off a four-game home stand with a victory over a reeling Brandeis team. But instead, the Jumbos walked off Kraft field yesterday with a frustrating 2-0 loss. Brandeis came in on the heels of two straight one-goal losses, and had not beaten Tufts since 2004. The team's recent ineptitude dropped the Judges from No. 7 in the New England Regional Rankings to No. 9, allowing Tufts to assume its old spot at seventh. But the Jumbos, who split their two previous non-conference matchups this season, were unable to justify the rankings. "We all came out of the game feeling like we could have, should have won," sophomore Laney Siegner said. "But sometimes it doesn't work out. We just need to reevaluate." Though the Jumbos' offense looked lively early on, Brandeis struck the first blow in the 25th minute. Junior forward Tiffany Pacheco and sophomore midfielder Mimi Theodore, the Judges' two leading scorers, combined to push through what would stand as the winning goal. Pacheco sent a long shot from the right side that Tufts senior goalkeeper Kate Minnehan batted away directly to the waiting feet of Theodore, who rocketed it into the back of the net. Tufts had its fair share of opportunities to equalize the game in both halves. With just over six minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore Alix Michael dribbled through the Brandeis defense and found classmate Jamie Love-Nichols, whose shot hit the left post. It was not the only chance at the end of the half for Tufts, as Brandeis' senior goalkeeper Hilary Rosenzweig made a stop on junior Bailey Morgan's low shot in the final minute. "Hitting the post is a frustrating part of the game," Michael said. "Instead of getting down, we just tried to keep pushing through. That is an aspect of the game you just have to learn to deal with." The Jumbos threatened to knot the game once more in the 57th minute when junior defender Sarah Nolet drilled a shot from outside the box at the Judges' net. But the pipes denied Tufts once again as the blast ricocheted off the crossbar In all, Tufts managed just four second-half shots in its bid to tie the game. "I don't think the shots were a very good indication of the flow of the game," Michael said. "We definitely had more opportunities than the shots would indicate. Their defense hunkered down and we couldn't get it in the back of the net. Sometimes it just doesn't happen." "Obviously we got a little unlucky hitting the post and the crossbar, but that's soccer. Sometimes the best team doesn't always win, and that has been happening to us lately," Siegner added. Brandeis put the game away with five minutes remaining, again in large part thanks to Theodore. The second-year helped orchestrate a run through the Tufts defense and found junior Sofia Vallone, whose shot from the 18-yard mark found the lower left corner of the Tufts net, pushing the final margin to 2-0. The loss dropped the Jumbos back to .500 ahead of what very well could be the biggest stretch of the squad's season. Tufts will play three NESCAC games in a span of seven days beginning with tomorrow's homecoming clash against Colby. With all three contests at home, the Jumbos know that this is the time to solidify a spot in the top of the NESCAC standings, in which they currently rank fourth. "Basically at practice [yesterday] no one was thinking about [Wednesday's game]," Siegner said. "Everyone was looking to Saturday ... This is our chance to make a statement and win three games in a row — which we have not done this season — and solidify our place in the NESCAC."
In the world of international soccer, few countries command as much prestige as Argentina, the winner of two World Cups in 1978 and 1986. But as the qualifying rounds for next year's World Cup begin, Argentina is struggling to earn a spot in soccer's most prestigious event.
After a frustrating offensive performance against Babson on Tuesday, the women's soccer team was left ruing a number of missed chances. Against Bates on Saturday, however, that was not a problem.
