The women's soccer team opened its home season with a 3-1 victory over NESCAC rival Middlebury on Saturday, pushing Tufts' overall record to 3-1-0 (2-0-0 in the NESCAC). Middlebury, which entered the game ranked 13th in the nation with a 2-0-0 record (1-0-0 NESCAC), was the only NESCAC team the Jumbos did not defeat a year ago.
Through the first half of Saturday's much anticipated contest, it looked as though history might repeat itself, with Middlebury controlling the play and sporting a 1-0 advantage. But when the second half opened, the momentum quickly switched, and the Jumbos pumped in two goals in the first 11 minutes. The insurance goal came just over eight minutes later to make the score 3-1, and coach Martha Whiting's team held strong over the final 26 minutes to ensure its revenge.
Last year, the Panthers first topped the Jumbos 1-0 on Sept. 16 and then again in the NESCAC Championship game on Oct. 29, 2-0. The two teams never faced each other in the NCAA tournament, however, because Middlebury made an early exit while Tufts marched all the way to the finals.
"There was a lot of nerves between the two teams at the beginning of the game," senior co-captain Lynn Cooper said. "They were upset that we went to the final four last year and this was a good way for us to show them that we deserved it."
Cooper accounted for the second of Tufts' goals, sandwiched between two tallies by junior midfielder Alle Sharlip. Sharlip put the Jumbos on the scoreboard with 36:23 to go in the first half, after a scramble in front of Middlebury goalkeeper Ali Connolly. Seconds earlier, Cooper had crossed a ball into senior midfielder Becky Mann, whose shot was blocked by a defender. Players from both teams then crowded the box and a melee ensued before Sharlip managed to get her foot around Middlebury midfielder Suzanne Caruso and redirect the ball into the net.
"During that huge scramble, Jess Trombly got a shot off first," Sharlip said. "Then I just put my foot around [Caruso]."
Cooper followed less than two minutes later with what proved to be the eventual game winner, after freshman Sarah Gelb's shot rebounded off Connolly and landed right on Cooper's foot. Again, the initial play was set up by Cooper, who stole the ball at midfield and touched a pass to Gelb.
Sharlip added her second goal of the game at 63:45. This time it was Gelb feeding Sharlip, who then beat two Middlebury defenders before uncorking a shot from the 18-meter line to the lower right corner of the net. For the half, Tufts was credited with 17 shots to the Panthers' three.
"We have a great group of freshman," Whiting said. "And one of the freshman I put in [Sarah Gelb] did a great job. She played a great game."
The first half, however, was a different story, as the Jumbos were more frequently on their heels while Middlebury mounted its attack. Tufts held a slight edge in the shot count, 7-5, but the Panthers' 3-0 advantage in corner kicks proved to be the difference. Middlebury junior forward Leah Cumsky-Whitlock cashed in on one of these opportunities, heading in senior defender Wendy Miner's corner at 31:57. Cumsky-Whitlock, now has six goals and 13 points on the year.
"There were a few things I was annoyed at from the first half," Whiting said. "We weren't doing defensively what we should have been doing, and we weren't playing as a team."
Cooper echoed her coach's sentiments. "In our talk at halftime, we knew we could play better, and that this was our game," she said. "We got fired up, went out, and played."
The Jumbos did just that, as they poured on relentless pressure from the outset of the second stanza. Sharlip had two quality shots in the first six minutes, one off a picture-perfect give and go with Trombly. Then with the score 2-1, Cooper and Trombly combined to put even more fear into Middlebury defenders, with Cooper setting up last season's NESCAC rookie of the year twice in a span of three minutes. Both shots sailed just wide of the posts, first to the left and then to the right.
And even with the score 3-1, the duo was not finished. At 8:36 the roles were reversed as Trombly found Cooper, who fired a shot that deflected out of play.
"The second half was how we can play," Sharlip said. "In the first half, Middlebury was still thinking, 'We beat them twice last year.'"
Yet even with Tufts up 3-1 and 26:15 to go, Middlebury showed that it would not go quietly. The Panthers had several scoring changes, including one off a corner kick with 23:40 to go. Tufts goalie Mara Schanfield came up with two big saves, first clearing the corner and then stopping a rebound shot soon thereafter. Three minutes later at 20:15, the Panthers threatened again with a shot in the box. Schanfield made another save, and the visitors earned a corner kick that resulted in no shot.
Then with 12:30 remaining, Middlebury had two more corners, but each was deflected out courtesy of the Tufts defenders. For the game, the Panthers took seven corners to the Jumbos' five. It was Schanfield's first win as the team's starting goalie.
But things quieted down a bit when Cooper took down a Middlebury player with 5:50 left in the contest, causing a temporary stoppage in play.
"I think we got a little too comfortable after the third goal," Cooper said. "Then we were just really frazzled. After that foul, it was a way to regroup and take a moment to rest."
Overall, Whiting said the team's performance was "a very satisfying win." "I felt like they were underestimating us, since they beat us twice last year," she said. "It was important for us to beat them and show them that last year was not a fluke. What's important in a game like this, the bottom line is heart - how deep you are able to dig down."
