The women's lacrosse team stormed into its season last week in Panama City, Florida last week, trouncing its competition and finishing the week at 2-0.
The Jumbos began the week with a game against Western Maryland on March 20th. Despite a sluggish performance in the first half, in which the Jumbos didn't score a single goal, the team was able to shake off a bout with nerves and bounce back in the second frame. Tufts' offense racked up 12 goals against a weaker Western Maryland squad in the latter half, while the virtually unchallenged defense held strong when necessary.
"We seemed really nervous in the first half," coach Carol Rappoli said. "We forced a lot of unwise passes, which resulted in a number of unnecessary turnovers."
Following the win early in the week, Tufts had two days before its game against Union College last Friday. Not wanting to lose the momentum gained from the strong second half against Maryland, the Jumbos spent Wednesday and Thursday in intense practices.
"We were carrying a lot of confidence from Tuesday's win, and our intensity was incredibly high from the very first whistle in the Union game," Gregorian said.
The squad scored with relative ease against a well-regarded Union team - winner of last year's New York State Women's Athletic Association championship - pounding the opposition 19-3. Any signs of the nervousness apparent in the Western Maryland game disappeared against Union, as the Jumbo offense gelled and the transition game came together.
"Everyone was contributing well to our offense," Rappoli said. "We played really well as a team."
Sophomore goalie Ari Kristen quelled any hopes of Union getting back into the game, racking up ten saves in an impressive and encouraging performance.
"It was a really good week for us," Gregorian said. "Everybody got a chance to play and get experience in real game situations."
Rappoli likewise was pleased that the Jumbos were able to outscore the opposition 31-7 in Florida, but still feels that there is room for improvement.
"Our offense was very strong, and our defense was never really tested," she said. "We need to work on our defensive sets."
The team will need to work out the kinks in its armor soon, as the Jumbos face stiff competition in Thursday's home opener against Wellesley. The Jumbos are expecting a fairly tough game against Wellesley, a team they defeated in a close match last season.
"We don't want to be overconfident after last week, because Wellesley is a solid group with a lot of fire," Gregorian said. "We just need to play our game, and we should be fine."
Likewise, Rappoli feels that Wellesley will pose a challenge. "They always field a group of quality kids," she said. "It will be tough."
The Jumbos open their NESCAC season with a road game against the Trinity College Bantams on Saturday.
