The field hockey team, fresh off its first victory of the season, will host NESCAC rival Conn. College today at Huskins Field at 4 p.m. Both teams are looking to continue their winning streaks after important weekend victories. Tufts (1-4, 1-2) defeated Bates 5-4 on Saturday, while the Camels (3-3, 2-2) handled powerhouse Colby 2-1, giving the White Mules their first loss of the 2001 campaign.
Tufts is led by its offensive trio of senior captains - Lindsay Lionetti, Christina Orf, and Barbara Szajda. But despite their strong play, the team has not been able to put enough points on the board. After getting shut out in three consecutive games, Tufts scored for the first time against Colby on Sept. 22, and exploded for five goals this past weekend against Bates.
While the majority of the Jumbos' season has been consistently dismal, Conn. College has had a sporadic year, defeating Colby (2-1) and Trinity (1-0), but getting crushed by Amherst (4-0) and Middlebury (6-1). Conn. College sophomore Emily Huffman has provided the offensive spark thus far with five goals, while her teammate, senior goalkeeper Anna Trafton, has posted a mediocre 2.95 goals against average.
A more telling statistic is the Camels' 0-2 record on the road, where they have been out-scored 10-2. Despite its record, Tufts has only been outscored 8-6 in NESCAC play, and has narrowly missed many scoring opportunities, leaving the possibility for a close match tomorrow.
The women's soccer team (4-3, 3-2) is also playing an important home game this afternoon against the non-conference Brandeis Judges at 4 p.m. on Kraft Field. The team is coming off a close, 1-0 loss to Bates this weekend and is hoping to use the Brandeis game to get back on track. The Judges are perennial underachievers and boast a 2-7 record this season.
Leading scorer sophomore Melissa Delowe has scored three goals on three shots for six points this season. The team also has twin sister tandem Emily and Melissa Purswell, who paired up to score the winning goal in last Tuesday's victory over Westfield State.
Tufts has had success this season with an array of scoring options, with seven different players scoring goals. Although the team has not gelled as quickly as anticipated, it should be able to overpower Brandeis.
