The field hockey team suffered yet another heartbreaking loss on Saturday, this time at the hands of the Trinity Bantams. The Jumbos' 1-0 loss effectively put an end to the team's chances of qualifying for the NESCAC tournament.
With the loss the Jumbos fell to 3-8 overall, and 1-6 in the NESCAC. Trinity improved to 6-6 overall and 3-4 in the NESCAC.
Tufts currently sits in last place in the NESCAC standings, tied with Bates. In order to qualify for the tournament, the Jumbos must hold one of the top seven spots in the ten-team conference. With only two conference games remaining, life in the postseason appears unlikely.
Despite the final outcome, it was Tufts that dominated nearly every aspect of play. The Jumbos controlled the offensive flow of the game, holding a 10-6 advantage in penalty corners. Tufts also out-shot the Bantams, but Trinity goalkeeper Jessica Martin was impressive in the cage, tallying 11 saves on the afternoon. The Jumbos did not even allow Trinity a single shot on goal in the first half, as goaltender Julie Jackson finished without a goal surrendered or a save registered.
"We played really, really well and dominated for the whole game," junior Dana Chivvis said. "We outplayed them and were clearly the better team."
Although Tufts dominated the game offensively, it was the Bantams who were able to find the back of the net and hold the advantage where it counted most. Trinity's goal came with 7:31 remaining in the second half off a free hit awarded just inside the midfield stripe. The ball was driven towards the Jumbos' circle, and Trinity co-captain Mary Jacobs was able to re-direct it toward the goal where freshman Beatrice Gatry fired a shot beyond the reach of Tufts' goalkeeper, sophomore Fara White.
Following the Trinity goal, Tufts again saw numerous scoring opportunities but repeatedly failed to capitalize on them. Nearly one minute after Gatry's goal, the Jumbos were awarded a free hit just outside of the Trinity circle. Senior Liesl Bradford launched a shot towards the Bantams' cage, where the ball was redirected several times and rolled just wide of the goal. Tufts was also unable to capitalize on the ensuing penalty corner.
"We just missed way too many chances," Chivvis said. "There's always something more you could have done, but in the end I think that we were just unlucky."
This type of game has been a recurring theme for the Jumbos this season, as the team has dominated play in several games but unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities in others.
"We've been working a lot on everything and we'll obviously continue to practice, but there's only so much you can do," Chivvis said. "A lot if it just comes down to chance."
The Jumbos will need more than chance in their remaining NESCAC contests against Amherst and Williams, both currently tied for third place in the conference. Tufts will first play Amherst, and will need to prepare itself both physically and mentally for a tough contest.
"We'll need to bring ourselves back up mentally more than anything else," Chivvis said. "We have been playing so well in all of our games, it's very tough mentally to keep coming up short.
"I have no doubt that we can beat Amherst," she said.
Tufts and Amherst square off at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Huskins Field.
