Junior leading goal scorer Lindsay Lionetti netted the game winner in double overtime to edge out nationally-ranked Williams College during Saturday afternoon's thrilling Homecoming festivities. The Jumbos handed the visiting Purple Cows their second loss of the season en route to securing a berth in the NESCAC's first-ever season-ending tournament. Today, the squad enters the tournament against fourth-ranked Wesleyan College with a fifth place ranking, following a 4-5 finish in the league, and an 8-6 overall.
"It always helps us to play at home, in nice weather, with all of our fans," junior forward Christina Orf said. "This was a really important win for us."
After a scoreless first half, the Ephmen, ranked ninth in the nation, jumped to a 1-0 lead when senior co-captain Allison Stepp found the net less than five minutes into the second stanza. The Jumbos answered back ten minutes later on a penalty corner opportunity when senior co-captain Amy Polverini completed a pass from fellow senior co-captain Colette Gaudet to even the score, 1-1. The goal was Polverini's third of the campaign.
The match remained a stalemate into the second frame of sudden death play. With 3:39 left in play, on a pass from sophomore Dana Chivvis, Lionetti broke away and in a one-on-one matchup, flicked one past Eph goalie Monelle Quievillon to notch her sixth tally of the season and win the game for Tufts. Chivvis trails Lionetti with four goals and four assists on the season.
"We are extremely pleased with the way that we played," Lionetti said. "We played with intensity, urgency and pulled through in the end."
Senior goaltender Dena Sloan played exceptionally well in net over the weekend, coming up with a whopping 16 saves. Sloan boasts a miniscule .84 GAA, placing her fourth in the NESCAC division, two spots ahead of Wesleyan goalie Taryn Hutchins-Cabibi.
The sensational win comes at the heels of an exhausting overtime loss to NESCAC frontrunner Amherst College Wednesday afternoon, thus making the Williams victory all the more sweeter. Though the Jumbos only boast an 8-6 record on the campaign, most games have been nail-biters. In their six losses of the season, the Jumbos have lost by a single goal, proving the true competitive nature of the team.
"I feel that we've been capable of these types of wins all season," Orf said. "It's really exciting to finally come out on top."
Lionetti echoed her teammate's sentiments.
"It wasn't a matter of us playing any better," Lionetti said. "We just got the goal this time."
The squad travels to Wesleyan College today at 1:30 p.m. for the first round of tournament play. On Oct. 10, the Jumbos fell to the Wesleyan Cardinals, the 15th ranked team in the nation, in a disappointing 1-2 loss. Although Wesleyan is a high-scoring team with 35 total goals scored this season, compared to Tufts' 21, the team also tends to be weak defensively. If the Jumbos defeat the Cardinals, they will advance to the semi-final round to face Bowdoin College, which tied Amherst for first place in the NESCAC but garnered the top seed in the tournament by virtue of its 1-0 defeat of the Lord Jeffs earlier in the year.
"Our team is really coming around," junior Liesl Bradford said. "Our intensity and confidence are high and I think that will really help against Wesleyan."
"I think that if we can apply steady pressure early on, then we'll pull out with a win," Lionetti said. "They beat us before not because they are a better team, they just got the breaks and we didn't."
