In their second of two NESCAC doubleheader weekends this season, the women's soccer team, perhaps slightly fatigued, dropped a pair of tough 1−0 decisions to conference foes Williams and Bates, falling to 6−4−2 on the year. Both matches were vital to their place in the conference standings and the results were undoubtedly disappointing.
"We're definitely one of the best teams in the NESCAC, so it's always hard when we don't get the results that show it, no matter how good the other team is," junior midfielder Alyssa Von Puttkammer said.
On Sunday, the Jumbos traveled to Lewiston, Maine, to take on Bates for their second match in under 24 hours. After 66 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Bobcats grabbed the lead on a goal from freshman Dakota Donovan, her fifth of the year. Bates clung to their narrow edge to earn three points.
"1−0 losses are never easy to swallow when you have just as many, if not more, good opportunities than your opponent," senior co−captain Lauren O'Connor said. "But that's part of the game."
In the first half, the Bobcats narrowly outshot Tufts 12−10. Tufts sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Wright and Bates senior net−minder Annie Burns were forced into three stops each to hold the score at 0−0.
The Bobcats finally managed to break through halfway through the second period. Sophomores Wally Pierce and JaimieCappucci worked the ball up the field, threatening the Jumbos' defense. Pierce then slipped the ball into the box, where Donovan corralled it with her left foot and booted it past junior goalkeeper Phoebe Hanley — who had come on for Wright at halftime — and into the back left of the net.
For the remainder of the second half, Tufts pressured the Bates defense, peppering their net with 13 shots but consistently coming up short. As time ticked away, Tufts could not find that one magical moment. Though the Jumbos took 23 shots on the day, Burns finished the afternoon with eight saves and a shutout.
"There's always an aspect of luck involved with finishing your chances and luck wasn't on our side this weekend," O'Connor said. "We also just lacked a bit of composure in front of the net."
On Saturday, the Jumbos hosted No. 14 Williams College at Kraft Field in front of a large Homecoming crowd.
But Tufts gave up a goal just 27 seconds into the second half and never recovered, falling to the visiting Ephs by an identical 1−0 tally.
"When a team scores on you in the first minute of the half, you have to chalk it up as a mental mistake," O'Connor said. "It's our goal to play the first five minutes of each half extremely hard to set the tone, and we just didn't do that in that case on Saturday."
In the first half, the Jumbos' best opportunity came in the 28th minute when sophomore Maeve Stewart sent a cross into senior Alix Michael. Michael attempted to send a shot past junior goalkeeper Laura Wann, but the net−minder was up to the task, recording her only stop of the day.
In the next few minutes, the Ephs threatened, but Wright made one of five saves to reject forward Nicole Stenquist's shot and preserve the 0−0 score. Stewart made several more attempts as the first 45 minutes drew to a close, but all ended unsuccessfully as intermission approached.
Just seconds into the second period, however, Williams junior Caitlyn Clark sent a cross to freshman HanaTomozawa, who controlled the feed and banged the ball inside the left post for the Ephs' first lead of the contest.
"The defensive collapse was primarily a lack of focus from us as a team, and all of us have to take responsibility for that," Von Puttkammer said.
Tomozawa's goal held as the only score for the remainder of the day. While Hanley posted three second−half saves to keep the Jumbos in contention, Tufts was unable to score on several opportunities, including a header from sophomore Anya Kaufmann that rebounded off the post.
"Finishing scoring opportunities is definitely something we're focusing on," Von Puttkammer said. "Half the battle is creating the opportunities and I think we do a great job of that, so our lack of goals wasn't really due to the other teams. Both of their defenses were penetrable. We just have to focus on that final touch."
While Tufts' goalkeepers combined for a total of eight saves, the Williams offense proved too quick and formidable for the Jumbos on Saturday, outshooting the Jumbos 17 to 10.
After falling to Williams and Bates this weekend, Tufts is looking forward to yet another NESCAC matchup, this time at Hamilton.
This Saturday's contest presents an opportunity for the Jumbos to garner another key conference win and work their way back into serious contention within the NESCAC. Despite its two narrow losses, Tufts boasts four strong conference wins and holds the keys to its own fate with two more NESCAC games to round out the regular season.
"Every game is important. A win against Williams would have put us in great shape with the regional rankings but all we can do now is look forward," O'Connor said.
"Our strategy for the last two regular−season games is to find our rhythm again and really hit our stride as we head into playoffs," she added. "Sunday was a huge upset to us. We know we're so much better than that. Now we just have to use these next couple games to show that to everyone else."
