After 70 minutes of deadlocked play, Bates midfielder Krissie Whiting scored the only goal of the contest, and the Bobcats blanked the women's soccer team 1-0 on Saturday. The loss was the second straight in conference play and brings the squad's record to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the conference.
Statistically, the game was evenly matched, as Bates led in shots 16-9, while Tufts had the edge in corner kicks, 8-4. Bates controlled play throughout the first half but was unable to capitalize. The second half revealed a shift in momentum, though, as Tufts had numerous scoring opportunities and played intensely. Nevertheless Bates was able to exploit the Jumbos defense, albeit briefly, which led to the one goal of the game.
With a breakaway sprint down the left wing, Whiting was able to fire a hard shot by Tufts goalkeeper Mara Schanfield to give Bates the only offense it needed to post its seventh shutout of the season. Bates has not relinquished a goal in over two weeks and has outscored its opponents 23-2 on the season, and junior goalkeeper Kim Martell has amassed 43 saves with a .956 save percentage. But despite the stats the Bobcats have posted, there was not a feeling that the team is unbeatable.
"All the teams we play are pretty equal, basically everyone in the NESCAC is good," senior midfielder Becky Mann said. "They didn't stand out in my mind as the team to beat though."
The loss left the Jumbos frustrated, as they have not been able to dominate teams as well as they did last year. The offense has been lackluster, with only 12 goals through seven games, and two opponents have shut Tufts out - already twice as many as last year.
"I think it is frustrating for everyone because we know we are better than these teams," Mann said. "We are going to break out and score a lot, I just hope that happens soon."
The team now wants to focus on is beginning the game with authority.
"It was a pretty even game, but we still need to work on coming out with intensity," sophomore defender Jess Lovitz said.
Mann concurred with her teammate. "We are going to work on getting our intensity up from the start," she said. "We are a second half team, and we can't just rely on that."
Tufts has also not received many lucky bounces in recent games, and while the number of shots has been high, the scoring percentage has been down.
"We had a lot of chances in the second half, a lot of close shots," Lovitz said. "We forced their goalie to make some nice saves."
The Jumbos will have an opportunity to work on their intensity tomorrow during a home game against non-conference Brandeis, a team that has struggled to a 2-6 record thus far this season. The Judges are not typically a strong team, and this fall is no exception. The Brandeis game also marks the beginning of a three-game home stand, which also includes NESCAC rivals Amherst and Bowdoin.
