Now this is how to get over the hump day. Tufts will play host to not one, but two playoff games this afternoon, as the both the women's soccer and field hockey teams host first-round postseason games today.
First up will be the women's soccer team, which takes the field at 1 p.m. against the University of New England in an NCAA Division III Tournament first-round game. The Jumbos, who enter the tournament sporting a 14-3 record, are ranked third in New England and 20th nationally, are coming off an appearance in the finals of the NESCAC Tournament. This is the team's second time in the NCAAs; in the first, two years ago, Tufts won the New England title and advanced to the national quarterfinals before falling to Ithaca College, 1-0 at home.
The New England Nor'easters are first-timers, earning a trip to the National Tournament after winning the Commonwealth Coast Conference with a 2-0 home win over Anna Maria. They enter at 13-5-1 and are currently ranked 15th in the region. The team, which is in just its second season as a part of Division III, has won five straight games coming into this one.
Tufts' loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC finals ended a seven-game winning streak. That stretch included a 3-1 win over Bowdoin, which was ranked third in the nation at the time, in the NESCAC semifinals. Following the win over the Polar Bears, the team had also won 12 of its last 13 games.
The team hopes to use a stellar defense, keyed by goalkeeper Randee McArdle, who owns an all-time Tufts record with 21 shutouts, to its advantage. Also important will be the play of Sara Yeatman, an All-American candidate at midfield who has ten goals on the season.
The Jumbos come in as favorites, as UNE was blown out by the three NESCAC opponents it faced this fall. The Jumbos were 4-1 against those teams. The winner of today's game advances to the New England Regional Tournament at Middlebury this weekend, where it will face off with Bowdoin.
Meanwhile, the field hockey team begins the ECAC New England Division III Tournament at 2 p.m. with the top seed. That, however, doesn't guarantee anything, as the Jumbos advanced to the championship game as the eighth seed a year ago.
The first-round opponent for the Jumbos, who finished 9-7 overall, will be Bates. With a win, the team would advance to the quarterfinals against either Wesleyan or Connecticut. Tufts hopes to rebound after losing in the semi-finals of the NESCAC Tournament to Bowdoin on Saturday.
