When midfielder Maya Shoham took the goal last week in practice, she never imagined she'd find herself back there during Saturday's battle with NESCAC foe Middlebury.
"I haven't practiced goal since freshman year, but then last week in practice I happened to play twice just coincidentally," said Shoham, a senior tri-captain. "I just wanted to step up for the team."
But after both of Tufts' goalies -- junior Kate Minnehan and sophomore Hannah Jacobs -- suffered injuries during the game, that's exactly where Shoham landed.
Despite her effort, Tufts lost to Middlebury 3-1 -- its second conference defeat in three games -- and fell to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in NESCAC play. The Panthers improved to 5-4-2, passing Tufts in the conference standings and raising their conference record to 4-2.
Tufts, which was ranked No. 19 nationally prior to the game, put its bench to the test after Minnehan chipped a bone in her hand and Jacobs was kneed in the ribs while making a save. Minnehan may miss the rest of the season and Jacobs could return as early as Saturday, Shoham said.
The Jumbos played catch-up after the 23rd minute, when Panthers senior midfielder Lindsay Rotherham launched a shot over the head of Minnehan, just the second goal the team had surrendered the whole season. The goal was Rotherham's first of the season and gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Minnehan's early exit came shortly after the goal, and she was replaced by Jacobs, who normally enters the game at the start of the second half. Jacobs stayed between the posts until her own injury, which came saving a shot from Middlebury senior tri-captain Caitlin Parker with 34:52 remaining in the game.
"We kept our heads up and we kept fighting," coach Martha Whiting said. "We didn't let it get us down. Maya did a great job."
Middlebury scored an insurance goal in the 60th minute on Parker's shot to the lower left corner of the net. Just six-and-a-half minutes later, the Panthers extended their lead when junior Anjuli Demers fed junior Margaret Owen ahead of the pack. Owen slid a shot off the hand of Shoham and into the net.
Tufts finally broke through in the 83rd minute when freshman forward Jamie Love-Nichols fired a shot by Panthers sophomore goalie Lauryn Torch from 25 yards out to put the Jumbos on the board.
"We started to get a bit tired towards the end, and they were able to get two more shots off," Whiting said. "We never gave up, and we fought really hard right until the end, and I was really proud of the girls for doing that."
Tufts was outshot 19-7 over the course of the game, but the Jumbo goalkeepers notched eight saves compared to Middlebury's three. Jacobs nabbed four of the saves, while Minnehan grabbed three and Shoham saved one. Torch had all three of Middlebury's saves on the day.
Next up for the Jumbos is a midweek clash with non-conference Keene State today. The Owls, who sit at 10-4 this season, will be looking to avenge a 5-0 loss suffered at the hands of the Jumbos last year.
"We just want to come out and play hard [against Keene State]," Whiting said. "We have to put this behind us and try and deal with the adversity we've had to face the past couple of games and just play well."
Tufts will have to display its depth in order to get back on track in the coming games. The Jumbos, who have climbed as high as No. 9 in the national rankings, will have to face three NESCAC teams in a row after Keene State, starting with undefeated Williams at home on Saturday.
"It has to be more of a team effort from here on out because we just don't have enough players," Shoham said. "No one is really going to sit anymore."
