Amherst College rocketed a shot past Tufts sophomore goalie Julie Jackson late in the first half yesterday to post the lone goal of the game and drop Tufts to 1-7 in NESCAC and 3-10 overall. The loss kills any hopes the Jumbos had of post-season play, pushing down them to tenth place in the conference.
The match was typical of the squad's losses this season -a Tufts-dominated game in which it sized up to its opponent on every level but was deficient in scoring in the end. "We simply can't score," coach Carol Rappoli said. "If we could score we'd only have one loss. We made one mistake, one lapse in communication, and it cost us. I think we played very well."
Tufts started the game moving the ball well, taking strong hits, and communicating well. The Jumbos clearly dominated the Lady Jeffs in the first stanza, with 11 shots on goal compared to Amherst's three.
The two teams waged a scoreless battle despite several penalty corners, but with 3:02 remaining in the first half, senior Lady Jeff Robin Ackerman broke through. Ackerman whacked in her fourth tally of the year off a crossing pass from the right by leading scorer junior Abby Ouimet.
"It was a 20 second lapse and they got lucky," Chivvis said. "It got past a bunch of people including their forwards until she popped it in."
The Jumbos did not let down in the final minutes of the half, and senior co-captains Lindsay Lionetti and Christina Orf led the squad in an effort to put a goal on the scoreboard.
In the second half, Amherst tightened its defense and stepped up its offense, managing five shots on goal and earning 11 penalty corners, while the Jumbos only got two shots on net. Most of the action occurred in Tufts defensive end, where senior Liesl Bradford and juniors Ursula Stahl and Karyn Moar played tenaciously to keep the visitors from increasing their lead.
Amherst's win was its tenth of the season (5-3 in the NESCAC) and solidified the team's third place standing in the conference. The Lady Jeffs were ranked tenth in the nation in this week's poll.
The Jumbos, who have not seen a losing season since 1993, have been on the losing end of nine scoreless contests to date and continue to search for a way out of their scoring rut.
"I wish I knew why we aren't scoring," junior Dana Chivvis said. " If I did, I'd be psyched, because I could fix it."
Coach Rappoli agreed with Chivvis' assessment. "There's really no reason for it," she said. "If I knew how to correct it, we'd be in another place."
Tufts sophomore keepers Jackson and Fara White split time in net for the third consecutive game, playing a half each. They combined for five saves, with Jackson making four in the first half. Their Amherst counterpart, senior goalie Beth Sensing, stood strong between the posts, making five of her six saves in the first half.
"It's been frustrating, because you go into a game expecting to work hard and come out on top," Orf said. "We've been working hard, but we just haven't come out on top often."
The team will face Williams on Saturday at 11 a.m. for its final conference match of the season. Tufts is also set to play Gordon on Tuesday, a game that will take place only if Gordon does not make its post-season tournament.
