Lodged in a three-way tie for first in the NESCAC and entering a weekend contest with No. 9 Trinity, Tufts, ranked seventh in the nation, hoped to edge out a rival and remain atop the conference standings. The Jumbos did just that, withstanding a late Bantam rally to emerge unscathed, 13-10.
Tufts stumbled out of the gate early, as the Bantams rattled off the first two goals of the game, but the inauspicious start did not phase the Jumbos, who ripped off four straight scores of their own to surge back. Sophomore points leader Amanda Roberts got things started for Tufts when she scored her 21st goal in eight games five minutes into Saturday's contest. Freshman Lara Kozin contributed an assist and two goals in the following 15 minutes of play to extend the lead to 5-3.
But trailing 6-3 with under three minutes to go in the half, Trinity sophomores Rachel Romanowsky and Caitlin Irvine, who rank first and third in the conference in goals per game, each scored to reach a single-goal deficit heading into the break. While the Jumbos seemed to have controlled the tempo early in the contest, a stingy Bantams defense, which withstood 22 shots in the half, limited the Jumbos to a one-goal lead.
Following the intermission, Tufts freshman Stephanie Perez snagged a groundball in the crease and netted the first goal of the second half. The Jumbos scored twice more, broken up by a Romanowsky goal in between, giving Tufts a 9-6 lead, its largest of the game. The Bantams bounced back in the next four minutes of play, however, scoring three straight goals, including two more unassisted by Romanowsky.
"It was all about staying composed and [not letting] the tempo of the game be startling," Perez said. "Although there was a lot riding on this game, we were going to treat it as we would any other game; we were going to handle Trinity defensively in transition and in settled situations, as we would any other team."
With the game in a deadlock, tied at 9-9 with less than 15 minutes to go in regulation, the Jumbos pumped out goals by Kozin at 13:06, senior Courtney Thomas at 11:32 and one more by Perez at 10:49, with an assist from Kozin, marking the first-year's fifth point of the day.
Leading 12-9 entering the final minutes, the Jumbo defense continued to shut down Trinity's offensive output with an iron curtain that rendered the Bantams scoreless for over 10 minutes. Tufts' hold was finally broken by junior Jenn Calver, who scored for Trinity at 3:24 assisted by the 6'1" Romanowsky. But that would be the final goal for the Bantams, and Tufts junior Emily Johnson's team-leading 24th goal of the season capped the 13-10 win.
The comeback win was the second straight for the Jumbos, who were down 10-5 against Bates on Wednesday before pulling out an 11-10 victory. This time around, Tufts nearly doubled Trinity in shots with a final count of 36-19. The Jumbos handled a strong Trinity draw with an impressive groundball game, finishing with an overwhelming 42 to Trinity's 26.
Sophomore Sara Bloom saved six shots to earn the win in goal. Irvine and Calver had two goals each for Trinity, while senior co-captain Kristina Scontras finished with four groundballs and three draw controls. Freshman Trinity goalie Gina Dinallo made eight saves for the Bantams.
"We did a great job defensively both riding and in settled situations, [and] our attackers were exceptional in pushing the ball carrier back," sophomore Lily Colahan said.
The Jumbo freshmen had a coming-out party, with Kozin and Perez leading Tufts with three goals apiece. Senior co-captain Chrissie Attura continued her outstanding play with a game-high seven groundballs and four draw controls.
Tufts has improved to a 7-1 overall record and 5-1 in conference. Trinity dropped to 4-2 in the NESCAC. Colby (5-1 NESCAC) also won on Saturday, but the Jumbos hold the tiebreaker with a 13-9 win in the teams' meeting on March 14. The Jumbos host a non-league game against Gordon on Tuesday at 4 p.m. on Bello Field before another midweek out-of-conference game with Wheaton in preparation for Saturday's NESCAC showdown against national No. 5 Middlebury.
