The No. 8 field hockey team keeps rolling along, notching its ninth straight victory on Tuesday over non-conference foe Wellesley. The win improves the Jumbos' record to 9-1 on the season and sends them into their last four games full of confidence.
The performance was a familiar one for Tufts, as the team utterly dominated every phase of play ? including advantages of 19-3 in shots and 7-2 in penalty corners - but could not break through for the majority of the game. Yet the Jumbos got all of the offense they needed early, with junior forward Chelsea Yogerst's tally nine minutes into the game serving as the game-winner.
The match marked Tufts' third shutout of the year, yet another strong performance from a stingy defensive unit that is only allowing 1.45 goals per game for the season. Against Tufts' relentless defensive pressure, the Blue offense hardly threatened sophomore keeper Brianne Keenan, while Tufts blitzed Wellesley junior Brit Mscisz between the pipes, only to be denied on all but one occasion. Mscisz stood strong in goal even against a two-player advantage created by a pair of cards given to the Blue.
The game was the last non-conference game on Tufts' regular season schedule. The team raps up its season with matchups against Williams, Bates, Hamilton, and No. 3 Bowdoin, with the last three games coming at home.
The Jumbos head into the stretch run filled with confidence due to the long winning streak, but they will need to pick up their offensive pace if they want to come out of the season with only one loss. With Tufts sitting tied in third place in the NESCAC with Bowdoin, the last four games will go a long way in determining Tufts' national ranking and its position for the all-important conference postseason tournament.
