With a 5-0 win yesterday over the University of New England Nor'easters at home on Kraft Field, the women's soccer team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jumbos climb to 15-3 with the victory, extending their record-setting campaign. The win came as a result of strong defensive play and an offensive explosion in the second half that produced three goals within a 12-minute span, including two from junior forward Lynn Cooper.
The Jumbos started off the game controlling the ball well, but had trouble putting together solid scoring chances. As the period wore on, the Nor'easters picked up their intensity, and shifted the play to a back-and-forth battle in the middle of the field.
"We came out flat [in the first half]," senior tri-captain Sara Yeatman said. "I think we had a hard time focusing on today instead of this weekend."
Tufts was able to regroup, however, and started up the attack again as the clock ticked past the midway point of the period. Tufts earned its sixth corner kick of the day with 12:30 left in the half. The ensuing play went out for a goal kick, but freshman striker Jess Trombly picked off a pass a few seconds later, drove the ball into the box, and fired a shot past Nor'easter keeper Melissa Dolbec for the first goal of the game.
New England generated a few good scoring chances as halftime approached, but could not capitalize on them, leaving the score 1-0 at the break.
"The first half, we were up 1-0, but again I feel like we didn't start strong enough," coach Martha Whiting said. "We just weren't playing with a lot of intensity."
The Jumbos came out much stronger as the second half got underway, pushing the ball deep into Nor'easter territory immediately following the whistle. Just five minutes into the period, Cooper sent a ball to fellow junior Becky Mann on the right side. She maneuvered her way around two defenders and into the box, leaving only the goalie between her and the net. Taking advantage of the situation, Mann blasted a shot into the left side of the goal to give Tufts a 2-0 edge.
Five minutes later, Tufts found itself with another great scoring opportunity. Mann fed a ball to Trombly, who sent a great cross into the penalty area from the right side. Cooper was waiting on the other side of the goal, and headed the ball past the keeper for the Jumbos' third goal of the day.
"We've been working well together," Cooper said of her play with Trombly. "We're having some good give-and-gos, passes, and feeds with each other, and she's going strong."
The Brown and Blue kept up the pressure, dominating the play of the game. Just six and a half minutes after her first goal, Cooper picked up a second, taking a pass from freshman Jessie Lovitz at the top of the box, skirting a defender, and lifting the ball up and over New England's leaping keeper. The score was her ninth of the year, giving her 23 points, one shy of her totals from each of her first two seasons.
"The game went really well," Cooper said. "The first half was a little slow here and there, and it took us a while to get going. But once we did, we kept at it."
The Jumbos were relentless on the offensive side of the ball, playing as if they were down instead of up 4-0. Sophomore Adie Sherwood came up with two great chances in the next few minutes, one of which resulted in a deflection off the crossbar, and the other in a magnificent sliding save by Dolbec, who made 17 stops on the day. Senior tri-captain Randee McArdle made four saves in net before being relieved by junior Mara Schanfield halfway through the second period.
The Nor'easters finally made a serious run at the goal with just over ten minutes left. After pushing the ball deep into Jumbo territory, the Nor'easters fired a shot towards the net. The ball flew too the left of Schanfield, but senior tri-captain Carmen Mikacenic was there to make the stop, keeping New England off the board.
Tufts tallied one final goal in the closing minutes, with freshman Becca Doigan taking a pass from Sherwood and sending in a ball from 18 yards out. It flew over the keeper and into the net to cap off the scoring at 5-0. The goal, which came with 1:54 remaining, was the second of Doigan's career. On the day, Tufts out shot New England 41-10, while holding a 14-1 advantage on corner kicks earned.
"What we need to focus on with this game is how we came out in the second half," Whiting said. "We were so intense on every ball in the second half, and we finished our chances. In the end, in the NCAA Tournament, you have to finish your chances, and that's exactly what we did in the second half."
Tufts now moves on the regional semi-finals of the NCAA Tournament, which will be held at Middlebury. The Jumbos will face off against Bowdoin on Saturday, which received a first-round bye. Tufts beat Bowdoin 3-1 last weekend at Middlebury in the semi-finals of the NESCAC Tournament, after losing to the Polar Bears 4-1 in the regular season.
"It's frustrating that we have the exact same thing, after having beaten Bowdoin and having to play them again, and having them seeded higher than we were," Yeatman said. "But beating them again will be a good challenge for us."
"We just want to get through the weekend, regardless of who we're playing," Cooper added. "It just so happens that the exact same thing happened last weekend. It'll be a hard weekend, but I totally think we can do it."
"I think we both know each other really well at this point in the year," Whiting said of the match-up. "We're both good teams. What it'll come down to on Saturday is who wants it more, and who's going to come out and play harder, and that's the bottom line."
Should Tufts beat Bowdoin, the team will move on to face off against the winner of the Middlebury/Wheaton match-up. Tufts lost 2-0 to Middlebury last weekend in the finals of the NESCAC Tournament in a game that was marked by blizzard-like conditions.
"All of us would like another shot at Middlebury," Whiting said. "Hopefully it won't be snowing, there won't be a monsoon, and the weather will cooperate. I don't think they're that much better than us that they're going to beat us, so I'd love to play them again."
"Without the snow, it's definitely better for us," McArdle said. "Overall, our team is faster than both Bowdoin and Middlebury, and the snow hindered that last weekend. Better weather will definitely be to our advantage."
The forecast for Sunday calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 47.
