The women's soccer team capitalized on each of its two corner kicks in the first half Saturday to take out NESCAC-rival Bowdoin 2-1 in a crucial conference match. With the win, the Jumbos improved to 6-3 (4-2 NESCAC) and leapfrogged into second place in the conference, as Bates lost to Williams, Amherst fell to Middlebury, and Trinity defeated Colby.
"We played really well today," coach Martha Whiting said. "The bottom line is that all we expect from them is the heart and intensity they showed today, and winning will take care of itself."
Bowdoin rebounded Sunday with a 2-0 win over Trinity, while number-one Williams improved to 9-0 on the year with its second victory of the weekend, beating Colby 2-1 in double overtime.
Tufts started off Saturday's game well, controlling play through the first five minutes. Bowdoin responded, however, by picking up two quick corners and a generating a few strong scoring chances immediately afterwards. But the Tufts defense held strong, and the Polar Bears were unable to put the ball in the net.
Thirteen minutes into the game, Tufts earned its first corner kick of the match. Senior midfielder Katie Kehrberger took the kick and blasted it into the box. Sophomore Jess Trombly followed the ball, redirecting it past Bowdoin keeper Emily Rizza and into the net to give Tufts a 1-0 lead. The goal was the fourth of the year for Trombly, who now leads the team with nine points.
After fighting back and forth for the next ten minutes, the Polar Bears responded with a goal of their own. With 20 minutes left to play in the period, Tufts committed a foul near the top of its box. On the ensuing kick, Bowdoin senior Lyndsey Sennott slipped a pass to her right to teammate Alison Lavoie. Lavoie then fired a shot around the charging wall, and just beyond the reach of senior goalkeeper Mara Schanfield to knot the score at one.
The two teams continued to do battle as the clock wore down, but it wasn't until the 43rd minute that another ball would find its way into the net.
Tufts picked up its second corner kick of the game with 1:40 left in the half. Kehrberger again took the kick, and sent another great cross in front of the net. This time, it bounced around as players from both teams fought for the ball. Tufts freshman Lindsey Wolejko eventually came up with it and rifled a shot through the frame to give Tufts a 2-1 lead heading into the break. The goal was the first of Wolejko's collegiate career, and gives her three points so far this season.
"A high point for us was scoring two goals on two consecutive corner kicks, after not converting on about 50 of them," Whiting said. "That was huge for us."
The weather was also a big factor on Saturday. A light rain cleared just before the start of the match and left the field somewhat slippery, while the wind picked up as the game wore on and gave Bowdoin a distinct advantage in the second half.
"The wind played a big part, especially in the second half," Whiting said. "The team with it at its back was able to pressure quite a bit."
Despite having to fight the wind, the Jumbos played hard through the second half. Senior co-captain Lynn Cooper came close to netting her fourth goal of the year just three minutes in when she headed a ball that slammed off the crossbar and over the goal. Tufts put together seven shots in the second frame, but could not capitalize on any of them.
Meanwhile, Bowdoin was aided by the wind in keeping up a continuous assault on the Tufts defense throughout the half. The Polar Bears turned up the heat more and more as the game progressed, throwing everything they had at Tufts in an effort to even the score. But the Jumbo defense responded and tightened up against the relentless pressure. In the end, Tufts refused to allow a score despite a number of close calls.
"People played hard, especially down to the end," senior co-captain Katie Ruddy said. "Our defense definitely stepped it up. We had energy and showed that we were going to win."
Junior defender Cara Glassanos made a number of great stops against Bowdoin runs, heading off attackers on their way to the goal and clearing the ball to safety. In addition, Schanfield performed well in net, fending off shot after shot with spectacular saves.
"Cara came up huge a few times," Whiting said. "She never stopped. She's a tough kid, and she got her body behind every ball."
With just under eight minutes remaining, Schanfield stopped what seemed destined to be the equalizer. On the last of Bowdoin's ten corner kicks on the day, the Polar Bears unleashed three shots at the Tufts net. Defenders deflected the first two, but the third made its way through and towards the goal. But Schanfield was there, diving on the ball to cover it up just fractions of a second before it would have crossed the line.
"It was pretty nerve-wracking back there, but we have confidence in ourselves, and we knew that we weren't going to let them score," Glassanos said. "We have a very strong team, with the freshmen and such a deep bench, and we had a lot of intensity, especially at the end. We're really coming together, and we're in a great position now."
Bowdoin continued to pressure down to the final minute, as Tufts had trouble clearing the ball against the wind. But the Polar Bears could not crack through, and the Jumbos earned their first conference victory in over two weeks.
"We played much better today," Trombly said. "We came out with a lot of intensity and heart. We didn't give up at the end, and we won."
"I was really happy with how we played," Schanfield said. "We had a lot better focus, came out hard, and played a great game."
The Jumbos will return to the field on Tuesday to host the 5-3-1 Amherst Lady Jeffs. Although Amherst has been struggling lately and has won just one of its last five contests, it is never a team to be taken lightly, and it defeated both Colby and Bates earlier this year. The Jeffs won the ECAC Tournament in 2000 after a 9-4-1 regular season and have outscored their opponents 21-10 so far this season.
"If we play with as much heart as [Saturday] and come out and show that we want it, I think we'll win," Trombly said. "Hopefully this game will show us how we can play."
The game starts at 4 p.m. on Kraft Field, where the Jumbos are now 16-1 over the last two seasons.
