The women's field hockey team routed the Bates Bobcats 3-1 in Lewiston, Maine on Saturday for the Jumbos' seventh consecutive victory against the fledging NESCAC bottom-feeder.
By the end of regulation, the Tufts squad had racked up some of its best offensive numbers all year. In the Saturday afternoon matchup, the Jumbos held a striking 44-4 advantage in shots that helped them cruise to the win over the 1-6 Bobcats. The 44-shot mark is Tufts' highest of the season, surpassing the 42-shot total set in its late September shutout of the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs.
Though the Jumbos scored two of their three goals on free-hit shots, Tufts generally set the pace of play. The Bobcats were on defense all game, resulting in a multitude of rebound opportunities and rapid-fire shots. In all, five Jumbos tallied at least five shots over the course of the game, while the Bobcats' goalie recorded 17 saves.
"We were good on the initial shots, but it was the rebounds that we scored on," senior co-captain Margi Scholtes said. "They played man-to-man defense, and they were very physical so we had to find ways to work around that. We had to make quicker passes to get around the girls."
"I think we had a lot of opportunities, but the problem was that not all of our shots were that great," coach Tina McDavitt added. "Another issue was that Bates plays man-to-man defense, while most of the teams we go up against play zone defense. I think the girls had to take a little time to get used to it. I think that they had more space to work with than they would on zone, but it took some time to realize that."
In the first half, the Tufts squad found some difficulty acclimating itself to the Bobcats' defensive style of play. While the Jumbos were slowed in the initial minutes of play, the tide soon shifted as the forward line found its rhythm against Bates' one-on-one coverage.
After 15 minutes of scoreless play, junior forward Amanda Roberts exploited a breakaway opportunity to notch Tufts' first goal of the game. The goal ended Roberts' own scoring drought this year, marking the first of the season for the third-team All-American.
Just four minutes later, the Jumbos were on attack once again, this time on a penalty corner play. Just as the Tufts squad set its season total record for shots, the Jumbos' 21 penalty corner opportunities were the most since the team recorded 36 in a November 2008 faceoff against the Trinity Bantams. On her first goal of the season, Scholtes caught a pass from junior midfielder Jess Perkins to put the Jumbos up 2-0 for the remainder of the half.
"We've been practicing a lot on penalty corner shots, and I've specifically worked with Margi on her shots on corners," McDavitt said. "It was nice to see that work pay off today with the goal off the penalty corner, and it was a very well executed play."
In the second frame, the Bobcats briefly showed up on offense with some near-breakaway opportunities, but their scoring hopes were generally squashed by Tufts' defensive unit. Ten minutes in, however, Bates freshman Michelle Brady scored on a controversial free hit against junior goalie Katie Hyder that was initially challenged by the Jumbos, though to no avail. Having allowed only four goals total this season, the Jumbos were generally satisfied with their strong play on defense that saw a number of players receive playing time.
"We did a good job of working together, and we had a lot of players sharing time on the field," Scholtes said. "We did well on making low block tackles and double-teaming. They only had a few shots on goal, with one ending in a goal on a questionable hit. We basically stopped them and really didn't give up many opportunities."
Three minutes following the Bobcat goal, the Jumbos responded when senior co-captain Amanda Russo, off a feed from senior forward Michelle Kelly, caught the Bobcats' keeper on the opposite side of the net to notch an insurance goal that would be the game's last. The victory placed the Jumbos atop the NESCAC alongside the undefeated Bantams.
The Jumbos only have a few days of rest before matching up against non-conference opponent Wellesley on the road Tuesday. The last time the Jumbos lost a regular season away game was on Sept. 12, 2007 against the Blue. With the season halfway done and the team's history with Wellesley in mind, the Jumbos are taking a steady approach to their non-conference foe.
"I think we really need to show up on Tuesday," McDavitt said. "Wellesley is a feisty team and they always give us a challenging game, so we're going to have to prepare ourselves for them in the next few days."
