In less than 24 hours, the Tufts women's soccer team will kick off the biggest game in the its history when the Jumbos take on the Pointers of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) in the semi-finals of the NCAA Tournament. The match, which will begin at Tufts at 11 a.m. tomorrow, will determine which team advances to the Division III NCAA Championship game.
Despite the heightened publicity, Tufts is taking everything in stride, keeping to its usual pre-game schedule as the players prepare for the weekend.
"We're trying not to change anything too much, just keeping the same old routine," coach Martha Whiting explained. "It's a big game, but we have to look at it as just another game," she said. "If you start to change too much, it's just disruptive, and it can end up hurting you instead of helping you."
"It's always been a dream to make it to the Final Four," senior tri-captain Randee McArdle said. "But now that we're here, it's just like any other big game. I'm actually trying not to do anything out of the ordinary. I'm a little superstitious."
Playing at home will be one of Tufts' biggest advantages on Saturday. The Jumbos are 10-0 at Kraft Field this season, including eight shutouts, and have out-scored opponents 27-4 in home games.
"It means so much [to be playing at home]. It's awesome," junior forward Lynn Cooper said. "We're all sick of travelling after going to Middlebury two weekends in a row. Playing here is such a relief - it's great to have our fans here."
The other three teams, UWSP, the College of New Jersey (TCNJ), and Trinity (Texas) will descend upon the Medford campus today, each taking an hour of practice to acquaint themselves with the facilities.
UWSP's biggest strength is senior forward Marie Muhvic, whose 30 goals and 13 assists this season place her among the top scorers in Division III history. Twenty-four of her goals came in games that the Pointers won by at least four goals, however, while she has only scored six in games decided by three or fewer. In light of those statistics, Whiting said that Tufts does not need to cover her one-on-one, as it did with sophomore forward Ali Bimba in the regional semi-final against Wheaton.
"If I feel like [Muhvic] is going to cause some trouble, then I might think about putting a defender on her, maybe mark her with Jessie Lovitz, but we'll just start the way that we've been playing," coach Whiting said.
The Pointers also boast the nation's second-best goalkeeper, senior Abby Rabinovitz, who has allowed just three goals in 1,485 minutes this year, giving her a .18 GAA. She also stopped 95 percent of opponents' shots on goal. Both teams have extremely strong defenses, so getting things going on offense will be crucial.
"We have to come out strong from the start," McArdle said. "If we score first, and if we score early, that will be key. It seems to have been a thing for us all season, so I think it'll work."
In order to generate the offense it needs, Tufts will have to maintain the intensity it has been playing with over the last month, during which time it competed in seven must-win games, spanning both the NESCAC and NCAA Tournaments.
"For us to win, all 11 players out on the field at all times have to give it all their heart," senior tri-captain Sara Yeatman said.
"It will be important for us to play as hard as we can," Whiting added. "At this point, you can't save anything for the next day, because there are no second chances. If you lose the game, you're done. I want to really stress to the players that, for 90 minutes on Saturday, they have to dig down and give it everything they have."
The only one who has been able to out-perform Rabinovitz in net this year is TCNJ keeper Victoria Nusse, who allowed just one goal in 22 games, including a scoreless streak that dates back to Oct. 1. Her .051 GAA is the best in the country, while her .979 save percentage is equally impressive. TCNJ out-scored opponents 86-2 this year, but has had trouble on the offensive side of the ball recently, winning 1-0 in triple overtime in its last two NCAA Tournament contests.
Trinity, who has not lost since Sept. 8, leads the country in scoring, averaging just under 5.4 goals per game. UWSP and New Jersey are not far behind, at 4.55 and 4.26, respectively. Despite the other teams' impressive statistics, the Jumbos feel confident in their ability to compete.
"I feel like each team has a big stat," Whiting said. "One team has this amazing scorer, another team has not given up goals. We don't have any big, amazing stat like they do, but I like it that way. We can defend well, and we have a couple kids who can score goals; we're by no means a flashy team. We're pretty solid and consistent, we stay composed, and we just get the job done. In a way, we might be a bit of an underdog, but I think that that's a good thing for us."
On the whole, the Jumbos are treating this game like they do any other. The team is taking everything one day at a time, and is concentrating on staying composed and maintaining its focus.
"We're trying not to focus too much on the outcome," Whiting said. "We're more focused on what we're going to do pre-game and during the game in order to get to the end - we're not just focusing on 'Win, win, win!' There's a lot more to it that just that."
"We're just really psyched to have a good time," Cooper added. "This is the first time we've ever been this far, and there's all this excitement and hype around everything. Rather than go in all tense, we want a nice, relaxing atmosphere. We have to go out and not think of who the other team is, and stay focused on what we have to do both as a team and individually."
"It's great that everyone is starting to recognize what we've done so far," Yeatman said. "But other than that, it's just another game," she said. "We're definitely ready, though - it's now or never."
