WOMEN'S SOCCERAt Kraft Field, TuesdayWesleyan 0 Tufts 2Scoring: Hardy, Gamal
The women's soccer team added another chapter to its rags-to-riches season last night.
The Jumbos got tallies from two freshmen, including the first collegiate score from first-year Whitney Hardy, to best conference rival Wesleyan, 2-0, tallying their fifth straight win and extending their unbeaten streak to six.
Last year, the Cardinals stole a close 1-0 victory over the Jumbos, their only conference win of the season. Yesterday, however, Wesleyan was welcomed to Brown Town with a solid 2-0 loss, dropping to 3-4 in NESCAC play and 5-6 overall. The Jumbos dominated the game both offensively and defensively and added yet another shutout to the list, their fourth of the season and second straight.
Tufts found the spark early on, something it has struggled to do this seasonThe scoring began 14 minutes into play when junior Lauren Fedore found freshman Whitney Hardy near the goal, and Hardy was nudged it past Wesleyan sophomore keeper Gavriel Elkind for her first collegiate goal.
"Today was the first time we started strong right from the beginning," head coach Martha Whiting said. "We have been slow to start in the past couple games, but today we were playing with that fire from the beginning."
The Jumbo offense dominated the entire game, taking 23 shots to Wesleyan's five, and dominating Wesleyan in nearly all offensive categories.
"We won every single 50/50 ball today," junior Joelle Emery said. "That is a huge thing and really helped us to continue putting pressure on them and having quality possessions."
Twelve of the Jumbos' 23 shots were on goal, while only three of the Cardinals' shots reached Tufts senior tri-captain and goalkeeper Annie Ross. While they were unable to find the net, Fedore and classmate Martha Furtek, the Jumbos' two leading scorers, combined for five shots on goal.
"Our forwards have been working extremely hard in practice," Whiting said. "It is definitely showing and certainly paying off."
Tufts struck again in the second half when Furtek found another rookie, freshman Fanna Gamal, on the left side, who netted her third goal of the season to make it a 2-0 game. The Jumbos continued to put pressure on the Wesleyan defense and even forced a goalie change with 17 minutes left to play when sophomore Andrea Giuliano came on to replace Elkind.
"Today was a really important win for us because we played really hard," senior tri-captain Kim Harrington said. "That was the best first half we have had all season. We really brought the intensity and kept it for the entire 90 minutes."
Not only was the offense on yesterday, but the Jumbo defense came together for its fourth shutout of the season. In the last five games the Tufts backfield has not allowed more than a single goal in any game, and has blanked opposing offenses thrice. Stellar in that defensive effort was Ross, who had three saves on the day, one of those coming in the first half on a shot by Wesleyan sophomore Marissa Trevisan that threatened the shutout.
After a shaky 0-2-2 start to the season, the Jumbos have turned their 2006 campaign on its head, running through its recent schedule and churning out win after win. The defense has stayed strong, the goals have finally started to come, and the squad is gaining both momentum and confidence.
"Our team is finally starting to click," Ross said. "We are combining passes, possessing the ball well, and our team chemistry is great right now. It's great to see."
Yesterday's win moves the Jumbos up to fourth place in the NESCAC standings and pushes Weslyan down to fifth. The Jumbos still have three more league games remaining, the first of which comes on Saturday against Trinity. Whiting and Co. hope to carry the intensity and aggressiveness from today's game into the match up with Trinity this weekend.
The Bantams are dead last in the league, sitting at 0-5-1 in league play and minimally better overall at 2-7-1. But Whiting is not overlooking anyone right now, and according to the coach, the Jumbos are focused only on the task at hand.
"Trinity is another big game," Whiting said. "They are a team that is a lot better than their record shows.
"With five wins under our belt we are able to play with a lot more confidence," Whiting continued. "But we are going to continue to work on improving. No matter what, we can always improve."
