The field hockey team showed no signs of an emotional hangover when it took to Bello Field for its NESCAC Tournament opener yesterday. Following its monumental victory over nationally ranked No. 1 Bowdoin Friday night, top-seeded Tufts cruised to a 5-1 victory over eighth-seeded Colby and ensured that the road to a conference championship will pass through Medford, Mass.
With the win, the Jumbos improved to 15-0, adding to the program's single-season wins record set on Friday. In addition, the team broke its record for longest winning streak of 14 games, set during the 1982-83 season.
But Tufts didn't get off to the strongest of starts, allowing the heavy underdog Mules to control possession and keep the ball in the Jumbos' backfield for the first 10 minutes. For the second time in as many games, Tufts found itself down in the first half after Colby senior quad-captain Mary Clare Snediker touched in a pass from sophomore forward Meryl Poulin.
But the Mules' momentum vanished on a Tufts penalty corner minutes later, as sophomore forward Tamara Brown tied the game on a feed from senior tri-captain Tess Jasinski.
"We were playing frantically for the first 10 minutes," junior midfielder Margi Scholtes said. "We started playing better once we stepped up to 50-50 balls and incorporated two-touch passing. I think we also did a great job breaking up their plays starting with the forwards. We were looking to step in front of players and beat them to the ball. We weren't giving them the chance to become offense-minded. As long as we kept up with them we did a good job of putting play back into their backfield."
One reason the Jumbos took time to adjust to Colby's style was that the team was a bit undermanned, as junior forward Amanda Russo, Tufts' second-leading scorer, sat out the game with a broken thumb suffered near the end of the Bowdoin matchup.
"I'm seeing a doctor this week and there is a good chance that I'll be able to play in ... Saturday's game," Russo said.
Tufts continued to find offensive success in its penalty-corner opportunities. With six minutes remaining in the half, junior forward Michelle Kelly widened the lead to 2-1 off another penalty corner and assist by Jasinski.
In the second half, the Jumbos played tightly in Colby's circle to draw more penalty corners. The squad posted a third goal off a penalty corner by senior tri-captain Marlee Kutcher, while senior tri-captain Brittany Holiday was awarded a penalty stroke, culminating in Tufts' fourth goal.
Brown then rounded off the scoring with her 21st goal of the season, padding the program record she set on Friday. When the dust settled, Tufts had out-cornered Colby 16-3 while it led the Mules in shots 22-4 overall.
"In the past we've had trouble executing our corners," Kutcher said. "It's important, especially in tournament time, that we could come out and capitalize on them. Our forwards did a great job of drawing corners in the circle because they packed into Colby territory."
Although the Jumbos will have home field advantage for the remainder of the NESCAC Tournament, the path to their first-ever conference title will be anything but easy. All four of the remaining teams in the tournament -- first-seeded Tufts, second-seeded Bowdoin, third-seeded Middlebury and fifth-seeded Trinity -- are ranked in the Top 10 of the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.
Next up for the Jumbos will be a semifinal showdown against the Bantams, victims of a 2-1 overtime loss to Tufts on Oct. 25.
That said, Trinity tripped up Tufts with effective block tackles and strong defense in the circle, curtailing Tufts' scoring opportunities.
The Bantam squad also sent the game into overtime with a last ditch effort on a penalty corner. Despite Trinity's ability to fight back and hold off opponents offensively, Tufts will boast home field advantage this time.
"It's going to be huge that we're playing Trinity at Bello Field," Jasinski said. "Trinity plays on AstroTurf so they're used to playing and practicing on a faster surface. Their team is dependent on speed so playing on our surface, we're going to be able to control their team better. We're proud of our regular season and the records we've broken, but now its do-or-die field hockey."
