The 2000 field hockey team boasted a 10-8 record on the season, 8-6 in NESCAC games and managed a late-season rally to qualify for both the NESCAC and ECAC Tournaments. But the Jumbos fell short of a championship title in either league, ending the season with a 1-0 loss to Wesleyan last Saturday.
"We wanted to compete for a NESCAC championship, and we got to the semifinals finals and played a good game but lost," 15-year veteran coach Carol Rappoli said. "I thought the kids played well and we suffered a couple of tough losses."
The squad crawled out of the starting gates this year, with tough expectations of becoming an NCAA-bound team. It dropped the first two games of its season, but quickly bounced back to win four in a row in late September. October proved to be somewhat of a roller-coaster ride, with wins and losses staggered along the way, and defeats by important NESCAC opponents. Heading into the last few weeks of the season, the women stood at a respectable 7-5. Despite blemishes on the team's record, it survived some impressive unexpected victories, like a 2-1 triumph Williams in an overtime thriller on Homecoming weekend.
After falling in the semifinal round of the NESCAC Tournament to Bowdoin on Oct. 28 and losing out on an NCAA bid, Tufts hosted the ECAC Tournament last weekend. The squad advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs, but succumbed to Wesleyan in the semifinal round on Saturday, missing out on the finals, in which Wesleyan topped Clark 2-1 in overtime.
"They wanted to win those tournaments, our seniors have been to the NCAA Tournament, and they wanted to go back," Rappoli said. "So in that sense, it's a disappointment."
Senior net-minder Dena Sloan echoed her coach's sentiments concerning the finale of the season. "I'd have preferred that we got a littler further," Sloan said. "Everyone's heart was into it and we put in a lot of pretty incredible games. A lot of people wrote us off when we didn't come out as strong as we should have. Oftentimes we didn't get the bounces our way... I'm not unsatisfied, just a little sad that it is over."
Though the squad did not fare as well as it was expected to, certain players were recognized for their efforts on the season. On Nov. 1, senior co-captain Colette Gaudet and junior midfielder Lindsay Lionetti were named to the All-NESCAC first team. Senior defender and co-captain Amy Polverini was named to the All-NESCAC second team. Gaudet and Lionetti led the team in goals on the season, with Gaudet at the center back position and Lionetti filling the shoes of graduated All-American Meredith Leroux in center midfield.
Last season, the team was blessed with a freshman, Dana Chivvis, who led the team in goals for the 1999 campaign, with twelve - second best in Tufts' history. But the 1999 NESCAC Rookie of the Year was limited to five goals this season.
"It wasn't a matter of her not playing as well," said Lionetti, who has played with Chivvis since high school. "As a freshman, other teams did not know what to expect of her, so she had more leeway. This year, everyone was looking out for her and she was really well marked."
The main problem the team faced over the course of the season was its inability to complete scoring opportunities. Although the team scored the same number of goals last season (27), putting the ball in the net was often a huge obstacles for the Jumbo offense.
"We obviously needed to finish our plays off," Rappoli said. "We were one of the better teams in the region, and I think if some of the goals hadn't gone in the goalcage, you never know what would have happened."
"It was really frustrating to watch my teammates work so hard and then not be able to score," Sloan said. "It doesn't matter where you are on the field, on the front line, on defense, in goal or on the sidelines... we all wanted it just as much"
The Jumbos had 149 corner opportunities this fall, while their opponents had a combined total of 151.
"It had nothing to do with our talent or ability," Lionetti said. "I think that sometimes we would just get impatient or a bit overanxious in finding the goal rather than taking a step back and making better decision."
The team's stingy defense proved, however, to be one enough of a strength to balance the offensive troubles. Surprisingly, two of the squad's top scorers were both defenders. Senior co-captains Colette Gaudet and Amy Polverini did double duty this season, tallying six and three goals, respectively.
"I think the whole team played pretty well," Rappoli said. "Colette and Amy played extremely well. The strength of our team was our defense and right up the center of the field."
With the loss of four starting seniors, including Mia Baron, Gaudet, Polverini, and net-minder Sloan, the team will look to underclassmen and potential recruits to fill those positions. "We'll definitely be able to fill in some of those players," Rappoli said. "We don't have anyone to replace Colette and Amy right now... we'll have to create those positions."
There are two underclassmen goalies, sophomore Lauren Rufino and freshmen Fara White, who will potentially fill Sloan's cleats.
"They're going to do an incredible job," Sloan said. "They've been working really hard and I have complete confidence in them. It's very possible that there will be some division of time among them. I think that they are probably better than I am... I just happened to get there first."
Lionetti concurred with Sloan's feelings about the future. "This season is far from a disappointment for us," she said. "We've come such a long way this season and have improved in so many ways, especially some of our underclassmen. Even though we're going to be losing some really important players, we can only look forward to next season."
