Living up to its preseason hype turned out to be a pretty easy task for the field hockey team.
In a strong display of NESCAC dominance, the national No. 4 Jumbos downed Middlebury 3-0, sending the No. 8 Panthers out of Bello Field with just a single shot on goal in both squads' season-opener on Saturday.
"I think that it's just a good way to come out," senior forward Tamara Brown, who had two goals on the day, said. "All the work we've been doing over the last nine months showed.
"Having a shutout and three goals on the No. 8 team in the country was a really good way to prove to ourselves that it's not just about the last two weeks of preseason but really all the work we've done since last November."
After 25 minutes of back-and-forth in the midfield, Tufts struck first with an unassisted tally from senior forward Melissa Burke.
The goal seemed to be all the Jumbos needed to get back into the offensive swing of things; they kept the pressure on the Middlebury defense with a trio of penalty corners before Brown — Tufts' all-time leading goal scorer — added a solo shot of her own just over three minutes later to send the Jumbos into intermission up 2-0.
After the break, the Panthers looked determined to close the gap with two quality attempts.
Middlebury junior Heather Karpas and sophomore Lauren Greer both had one-on-one opportunities against the Jumbos' junior goalkeeper Marianna Zak. Zak kick-saved Karpas's shot and came out to meet Greer head-on, forcing the Middlebury forward to fumble the ball wide over the end line.
"I definitely thought the defense was working really well together," junior defender Sarah Cannon said. "Everyone was doing their job in the system and working really hard, and it showed."
Just under 11 minutes into the second half, a second Brown goal ended any fears of a Panthers comeback. Brown's tally came off a successful penalty corner combination from senior inserter Tess Guttadauro to co-captain striker Jess Perkins; Brown gathered Perkins' smash from the top and slotted it into the net.
The Tufts offense racked up 18 penalty corner opportunities, while a clean Jumbos defensive front only gave up four. In all, the Jumbos only allowed nine shots.
Despite their successes, the Jumbos will look to improve certain aspects of their game, such as their corner- and shot-conversion rates; they went 1 -or-18 and 3-for-29, respectively, this weekend.
"I think corners have been something we've struggled with a little for a couple years," Brown said. "I think it's just about getting used to each other, reading the defensive plays and making passes and receives crisper."
The negatives came few and far between for the Jumbos.
Sophomore Kayla Murphy and freshman Emily Cannon displayed some potent stick-work, while Sarah Cannon, Emily's older sister, looked like she will become a dangerous weapon on the left side for the penalty corner team. The elder Cannon lifted two aerial shots that forced 5-foot-8 Panthers goalie Madeline Brooks to make a pair of tough saves with her stick.
Meanwhile, sophomore Kelsey Perkins, part of the team's other sister duo, saw a lot of time in the midfield as well as in the inserter position, proving herself as a valuable tool on the sideline.
As Middlebury's fatigue began to show in the second half, the game proved that the Jumbos' bench could become a weapon as the season continues.
"I think depth is such a big thing for us this year," Brown said. "And not only is that a good thing for games by keeping everyone fresh, but beyond games, it's also huge in practice where we're battling with each other. We want the 23rd player on our team to be better than the first player on any other team and I think we're getting there."
On Tuesday, the Jumbos will travel to Babson for their first non-league match of the year. The Beavers have given Tufts some unexpected competition in recent years, with the past two meetings ending in narrow 2-1 victories for the Jumbos.
Though the Jumbos undoubtedly have the skills to beat Babson again, another close game against the unranked Beavers could rattle the Jumbos' confidence.
The team will need to capitalize on penalty-corner opportunities, as well as direct a higher percentage of its shots on goal. The defense also must give a strong performance, as Babson's AstroTurf field will amp up the speed of the game.
"Every game is going to be a tough game this season," Sarah Cannon said. "I think we just need to do all the things we did well on Saturday again against Babson — stay composed, play together and communicate on the field — and keep doing what we're doing with the ball and we'll be good."
