The expectations were high on Saturday when the field hockey team took to Bello Field to face Bates in a Homecoming showdown. The national No. 2 Jumbos, still holding on to an undefeated season, played host to a struggling 1−5 Bobcats squad and, with a definitive 7−1 victory that saw goals from five players, didn't disappoint the lively Homecoming crowd.
The win moved the squad to 6−0 overall and 4−0 in the NESCAC.
"I think that our team had expectations to finally go out and play our best game in the first half," senior co−captain Amanda Roberts said. "We are undefeated, but I don't think we had played our best game yet. We were excited to come out and give 110 percent for the full 70 minutes and play good clean Tufts hockey. … I feel like we did that on Saturday."
Senior Tamara Brown led the way once again, scoring a first−half hat trick in under 11 minutes between the 4:21− and 15:21−minute marks.
The Jumbos' victory, though, seemed inevitable even earlier.
"Right before the game started, one of our assistant coaches took us aside and said that he wanted three goals in the first 15 minutes and there's no reason why we couldn't do it," Roberts said.
Just 50 seconds after the starting whistle, Tufts earned its first penalty corner and lined up on the circle. The ball came out to junior Sarah Cannon, who flicked a high−arching shot through the air toward the goal. The ball fell into the net over Bates senior keeper Katie McEnroe's head, and the Jumbos never looked back.
"After Sarah scored, we all just said, ‘Okay, one down, two more to go,'" Roberts said. "We all just wanted to put two more in as soon as possible."
Less than five minutes later, Brown went to work, scoring three times in rapid succession. Leading 4−0 early in the half, Tufts then pulled the starters. The reserves continued the high level of play for the remainder of the half, denying Bates any shots or penalty corners while themselves racking up 18 and 11, respectively.
"I think because [assistant coach Craig Rowe] said that going into the game, we had the attitude that we wanted to keep scoring," Brown said of the challenge to score three goals in the first 15 minutes. "I think that was my favorite part of the game, when he pulled us aside, and I think that is an attitude — of being relentless — that we really want to take with us going forward."
After the break, the Bobcats showed some fight, getting on the board on a combination between sophomore Michelle Brady and junior Lyndsay Beaton. The goal came after sophomore Missy Karp, assisted by Brown, struck first, leaving the score 5−1 with under 25 minutes left to play.
Bates then continued to show some offensive spark, nearly matching the Jumbos' second−half shot and corner totals. The Bobcats were denied, however, by freshman goalie Katie Stuntz, who relieved junior starter Marianna Zak for the remainder of the game.
Roberts went on to score unassisted and feed first−year Chelsea Yogerst's first collegiate goal to complete the game's scoring with the Jumbos on top 7−1.
The game marks the team's largest margin of victory of the season. In 2009, it wasn't until mid−October that the Jumbos started exerting their full offensive power. It seems a similar run may be beginning this year.
Last season, against their next three opponents this year — Wellesley, Colby and Conn. College — the Jumbos notched 24 goals, including a 7−0 Homecoming victory against Colby in which Brown scored a hat trick.
"I think this is just a huge confidence booster that we can come out against a NESCAC team and dominate for the full 70 minutes," Roberts said. "I feel for the first time we put numbers on the scoreboard that reflect our level of skill … and I think that's going to put a lot of confidence in the team for the games coming up."
If history is any indication, Tufts should continue to roll over the NESCAC until the team's Oct. 29 meeting with what will be its biggest obstacle to a repeat shot at the conference crown: Bowdoin.
For now, the Jumbos will focus on what lies directly ahead: a mid−week, non−conference meeting with the Wellesley Blue on Thursday. Although the Blue took a talented Babson team into overtime earlier this season, they sit at 3−6 on their season and 0−4 against NESCAC teams.
"We talked a lot about it last week that we need to go into games with more attitude," Brown said of the team's expectations heading into its next game. "While we're not taking teams for granted, we're not taking teams too seriously and we're going into games realizing we're the No. 2 team in the country for a reason.
"I think things are starting to click," Brown said, "so we just want to take advantage and keep our momentum going."
