Maybe it's time to give Bello Field a new nickname: Winnersville.
With a 3-1 victory over Williams Saturday, the field hockey team continues to preserve an undefeated record at 11-0, solidifying the Jumbos' reign over the conference standings. A Bowdoin loss to Trinity Saturday, coupled with Tufts' win, gave the squad sole possession of first place in the NESCAC with just two regular season games left before postseason play.
The only remaining undefeated team in the national top 20, Tufts climbed from No. 7 to No. 5 last week, and this weekend's results can only help the team rise further.
The Jumbos began the match by immediately putting pressure on the Ephs' defense, drawing one defender after the next into one-on-one situations, only to maneuver around them into open space. This strategy propelled the Jumbos to a 2-0 halftime lead, as both junior Margi Scholtes and sophomore Tamara Brown recorded goals.
"I think that by taking girls one-on-one, we were each able to hold our positions and stay spread out on the field," senior tri-captain Brittany Holiday said. "By staying spread out on the field, we were in supportive positions and were able to make successful transfers throughout the field into the offensive circle."
The Ephs' offense failed to break the Jumbos' defensive line until the 29th minute of the first half, when freshman goalie Marianna Zak blocked the first shot it fired. Williams only took one more shot in the half compared to 14 for Tufts, and the Ephs drew no penalty corners compared to the Jumbos' six.
"Even if a forward missed the ball, a midfielder picked it up," coach Tina McDavitt said. "We didn't have any lapses and our play was really strong."
Williams' defense came out determined in the second half, looking to put an end to the Jumbos' scoring streak. Sophomore goalkeeper Katrina Tulla made eight saves, for a total of 14 on the game.
Once more, the Ephs prevented the Jumbos from scoring on eight penalty corners, including five successive corners that took place during the middle of the second half.
"If we mess up on the beginning of a corner, we tell the girl she should get another corner because she's probably not going to get a good goal, so she should look to draw another opportunity," McDavitt said. "We did that a couple of times because we didn't have a good ball out."
"We would change up the side we inserted from and the plays we were planning to do," Holiday said. "Williams' defense did a good job stepping in front of the Tufts players in the circle."
With less than 15 minutes left in the match, the Jumbos' offense turned up the heat. A series of short passes that quickly transitioned the ball from the midfield to the offense allowed junior Amanda Russo to find the back of the net off a pass from sophomore Amanda Roberts at the 12:04 mark. The Ephs never let down, scoring off a penalty corner in the final five minutes and ruining the Jumbos' chances of posting their sixth shutout this season.
Tufts will have all of this week to prepare for Saturday's contest with the Trinity Bantams. The Bantams upset No. 1 Bowdoin over the weekend in a match that ended the Polar Bears' astounding 31-game winning streak and moved them into second place in the NESCAC. While the Polar Bears controlled the game offensively, the Bantams capitalized on two of the four shots they took in the entire game, securing a 2-0 final score.
"The stats were in Bowdoin's favor," McDavitt said. "Bowdoin and Trinity are both great teams and it really just shows you that on any given day anyone can win."
With a lot at stake over the next two weeks, the Jumbos are not about to let Trinity's upset fool them into thinking that a NESCAC championship is already theirs.
"We want to be confident to a degree, but we have to respect every team we play. Both our Trinity game and our Bowdoin game are going be battles," McDavitt said. "We're all very strong teams, and whoever comes out and works hard will win."
