Tufts field hockey traveled to nearby Babson College for its first away game of the season on Tuesday. This non-conference matchup featured two top-20 opponents: TheJumbos were ranked No. 3 and the Beavers No. 13 nationally. The Jumbos entered the match undefeated with a 4–0 record and the Beavers 6–1, with their only loss against Middlebury College. However, after 68 minutes of play, the Jumbos ultimately fell to the Beavers 1–0 in overtime.
Tufts on Saturday anticipated facing off against NESCAC opponent Colby College in what would have been the team's first away game of the 2021 season. However, due to COVID-19 precautions, the game was rescheduled as a home game for Oct. 19.
Against Babson, the Jumbos and Beavers fought back and forth, as reflected by the 0–0 score that remained throughout the entirety of all four quarters. In the first three quarters of the game, the Jumbos were able to keep the Beavers to zero shots. Additionally, Tufts had more shots and corner opportunities than Babson, with shots at 20–8 and corners 14–6, both in the Jumbos’ favor. Despite this, no team was able to get the ball past the goalies, forcing the game into overtime. This was the Jumbos' first overtime battle so far in their 2021 season.
Junior goalkeeper Sam Gibby had an impressive stop against Babson’s senior midfielder Millie Brady. Gibby had two key saves for the match overall. The game-winning goal came from Babson senior forward Lauren Curley, who scored off a corner with 1:40 remaining on the overtime clock, ending the game in the Beavers' favor. This non-conference matchup was certainly a battle test for the Jumbos.
“I think the biggest takeaway for our team was that we need to execute," Gibby said. "We played a great game with lots of grit, but we just had trouble finishing. Obviously, it was not the result we wanted, but everyone on the team is already using this as fuel to motivate us for our upcoming NESCAC match-ups.”
Tufts is now 4–1 on the season, while Babson is 7–1. Since 2015, the Tufts-Babson matchup has been 22–5 in favor of the Jumbos. This matchup has gone into overtime on multiple occasions, with most games being won by a small margin.
Tufts will play its next game at home on Saturday against NESCAC rival Bates College.
“I think one of our goals moving forward is to take our season game by game," Gibby said. "We always say the biggest matchup of the season is our next game, so I think everyone is fired up to play Bates this weekend at home. We are a great team with a lot of potential, so we know if we stay focused and continue to work hard, we will be successful in the short and long term.”
The Bobcats are currently 4–3, their losses coming from NESCAC teams Hamilton and Bowdoin, as well as Babson, to whom they lost 3–1. Tufts will then play Hamilton on Sunday in a NESCAC doubleheader that will put its training to the test.
