The field hockey team was eliminated from the NESCAC Tournament Saturday after losing a disappointing semi-final match to first-seeded Bowdoin College by one goal. In the 2-1 loss to the Polar Bears, ranked third in the nation, Tufts played with unity and confidence, but could not find the net for the much-needed second goal.
"We definitely fought our hardest, and although they were a really good team, we were well-matched," senior Mia Baron said. "We look at it like they got a lot of lucky breaks. Each team was there to win, and obviously only one of us could."
The Polar Bears took an early lead when senior Lisa DiPilato ripped a shot past Tufts senior goalie Dena Sloan following a corner penalty less than four minutes into the first period. The evenly matched squads settled down for the remainder of the first stanza, each team having limited scoring opportunities. Bowdoin caught the Jumbos on their heels again only 17 seconds into the second frame, though. The Polar Bears controlled possession at the start of the period and quickly pushed the ball to the top of the circle, where the Tufts defense rallied to control the onslaught. Unfortunately, in Sloan's attempt to clear the ball, DiPilato slid in her second tally of the match and her fourth score of the season.
"We didn't play well for the first four minutes of each half, and we didn't take advantage of all our opportunities," coach Carol Rappoli said. "I thought it was a terrific game, and I am proud of my kids for battling back from a 2-0 deficit and playing hard for the entire game."
Faced with a two-goal deficit, Tufts came roaring back, getting numerous chances at the Bowdoin net. With 27:49 remaining in the contest, sophomore Dana Chivvis cut the lead to 2-1, intercepting a failed clearing attempt and beating Bowdoin first-year goalie Jill McDonald. The goal was Chivvis' fourth of the season. The remainder of the game was mainly contained in the midfield, with a number of scoring opportunities for both squads.
"We played pretty well throughout the game," junior Lindsay Lionetti said. "Things just didn't go our way."
While the Jumbos fought intensely until the last whistle, the Polar Bears staved off Tufts' late-game rally. Time expired with the team taking a penalty corner, but it could not covert, and the Polar Bears took the victory and advanced to the final round yesterday afternoon.
"We just couldn't get in another goal," Baron said. "Especially in the last ten minutes, we put the pressure on so heavily, but they stepped it up too and just wouldn't let us score."
Although the team suffered seven losses on the 2000 campaign, including post-season play, it never lost by more than a goal.
"I think that really demonstrates what kind of team we are," Lionetti said. "We were so close on so many occasions, but just had trouble with the last step."
This weekend's defeat comes at the heels of a late-season surge, with recent victories over top-ranked Williams and Wesleyan en route to a NESCAC tourney berth.
"It was a disappointment, because we thought we were on our way up," Baron said. "We were the underdogs, we had nothing to lose, but it's never fun to be so up and then lose."
Despite the loss, the season is surely not over for the Jumbos. The squad will compete in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament this week in a pool of other teams who did not make the NCAA Tournament.
"It's difficult to suffer this kind of loss, especially when we've been looking forward to this for so long," junior Liesl Bradford said. "It's great that we're going to continue to play in the ECAC tournament, but it's just not the same."
The team will play again Wednesday, although its opponent is yet to be decided. Most likely, the Jumbos will play on home turf, depending upon the outcome of yesterday's final match at Bowdoin.
"We are still sort of on the rise and I think we can all agree that we've improved a lot," Baron said. "We have a few injured players back and have started to use more of our freshmen, and they've been doing really well. We didn't leave anything on the field on Saturday, and that is one of the most important things to do when you lose a game. Keeping that in mind, I feel that we can be successful this week."
