Finishing her junior year off by tallying 14 points in the last six games of the season last year, senior midfielder and co-captain Beth Krikorian was on track to have her most impactful year yet with Tufts field hockey this year. However, with the cancellation of all fall sports competitions, Krikorian, along with the rest of the field hockey team, will patiently wait and train for their next chance to compete in 2021.
While there are many things fall athletes will be missing out on this season, game days are at the top of the list of things Krikorian will miss the most.
“The whole day we spend together, so it’s super fun to just wake up knowing ... you have all of this stuff to look forward to,” Krikorian said. “The actual game itself, there is all the excitement around pregame, during the game, and then after the game tailgating with parents.”
In addition to having the fall season cancelled, the field hockey team’s off-season in the spring and summer also looked different. After being sent home in March, the team did many Zoom calls with coaches, incoming first-years and returning players. Furthermore, the players had to find other ways to workout or play while in quarantine.
“Throughout the summer, a good amount of us upperclassmen lived in our off-campus houses so we'd be able to go to the field and hit together or do workouts together — so we could be in person, which was nice,” Krikorian said.
Krikorian also noted that the players were able to explore other types of workouts aside from the usual workout packet they follow leading up to their fall season.
With most of the team currently back on campus, they will be able to start playing, lifting and doing other team activities while following Tufts’ COVID-19 guidelines. These will consist of small-team training sessions and small-group limited time sessions in the weight room.
“We have practices or some sort of team activity five times a week, so throughout all the week days we’ll be able to see each other, which is pretty big for keeping everyone on the same page and together as well as integrating the freshmen, so that will be exciting,” Krikorian said. “Other than the actual field hockey, like the athletics piece of it, we’ve definitely as upperclassmen talked about connecting with different grades in whichever ways we can.”
Krikorian has made her mark on the team since she first stepped foot on the field in the season opener against Colby when she was a first-year. She competed on both the field hockey and lacrosse teams at Tufts as a first-year but later decided to focus solely on field hockey. Three years later, she has played in 55 games, starting and playing in every game during both her sophomore and junior seasons.
“Beth is the ultimate athlete and perfect embodiment of a great teammate,” junior midfielder Sophie Schoeni said. “On the field, she is a force to be reckoned with and puts our whole team at ease with her calm confidence and consistency.”
As a sophomore, Krikorian ranked third on the team in goals and shots as well as second in points and had three game winning goals, the second most on the team. Her junior year, Krikorian was second on the team in goals, assists and points, and she fired off a team high 61 shots.
“As one of our leading goal scorers and contributors on the field, her legacy of hard work and dedication has been passed down through my class as well as the program for years to come,” Schoeni said.
Reflecting on what she has gained and will miss most about being a part of the field hockey team at Tufts, Krikorian said, “The people. I’ve made such good friends out of it my entire four years here, just meeting all the girls and all of their families. It’s so nice to have a huge network and support system of alums and current players.”
As a teammate of Krikorian’s for two years, Schoeni echoed this sentiment. “Aside from her athleticism, Beth is an amazing friend to everyone she is surrounded by and has made my experience not just with field hockey, but also at Tufts as amazing as it has been ... I look up to her as a leader on and off the field and am lucky to call her a friend,” she said.
Over the past three seasons, the field hockey team has been very successful, boasting an impressive record of 45–13. They have competed in seven NESCAC playoff games and six NCAA playoff games, including competing for two NESCAC championships and one NCAA championship. Coming up just short in each of these championships, Krikorian was looking forward to one more chance at bringing home a title.
Krikorian plans on participating in the fifth year masters program offered by Tufts and therefore will be able to play with the team once more next fall.
