Thirty minutes into yesterday's win over the Brandeis Judges, sophomore Jess Trombly fed senior co-captain Lynn Cooper a perfect pass in front of the net, which Cooper calmly slid by goalkeeper Kerry Bronnenkant. It was almost too easy. But despite 2-5 Brandeis' overall ineptitude and the 37 shots that the Jumbos unleashed, the final 1-0 score did not seem indicative of the dominance the women's soccer team displayed yesterday.
Part of the problem may have simply been luck - about half a dozen Tufts shots grazed off the crossbar, and a few others missed the net by inches. A more fundamental issue was the team's failure to finish shots. Although the Jumbos were on the offensive for the vast majority of the game, intensity seemed to wane once players were inside the box.
"Finishing shots is a big issue with us right now," coach Martha Whiting said. "I think sometimes we are waiting for the perfect shot. Sometimes it is better to just get something off quickly even if there are defenders around."
In an effort to jumpstart the offense, Whiting started five freshmen, including two in the midfield and one on attack. The offensive trio of Lindsey Wolejko, Sarah Gelb, and Becky Greenstein played extremely well for the first 20 minutes and provided the offense with ample scoring opportunities. The majority of Tufts' ten corner kicks occurred during this stretch, although no one was able to put the finishing touch on any of the setups.
"We haven't been starting with any intensity, and the subs that come in always do a nice job when they come in," Whiting said. "So I thought maybe just try it, and hopefully it would make the others work a little bit harder."
The strategy did not produce any goals though, and when regular starters, seniors Katie Kehrberger and Becky Mann, and sophomore Trombly, came off the bench, they gave the team enough of a push to finally score. For the entire first half, the Judges never even posed a scoring threat, but their defense was persistent enough to keep Tufts from running up the score.
The second half of the game was played more intensely by both teams, but neither could capitalize on its offensive chances. During a brief stretch, Brandeis had four straight corner kicks, but senior goalkeeper Mara Schanfield played them aggressively, eventually clearing the ball.
"I never actually felt worried about them scoring," Whiting said. "We are confident with our players defensively."
Tufts had even more scoring opportunities in the second half, led by junior Elizabeth Tooley. Junior Alle Sharlip also sent in a number of corner kicks, which no one could redirect into the goal.
Eventually the clock ran out, the score remaining 1-0, despite the fact that Tufts out-shot Brandeis 36-7 and led in corner kicks 10-6. The team was satisfied with the win, but left with some frustration, as the score could have easily been 7-0.
"We need to pick up the intensity against teams that aren't good, and Brandeis is not good," Whiting said.
"We have the talent on the field and we just need to do it," Schanfield said. "We are half way through the season, and we need to start getting it done now."
The win improves Tufts' record to 5-3 overall, and the team will play its next four games on Kraft Field, which bodes well for the squad. The Jumbos are 13-1 at home in the last two seasons and undefeated thus far this year.
On a down note, senior co-captain Katie Ruddy limped off the field in the second half, appearing to have re-aggravated an injury to her left quad. Her status for Saturday's game against Bowdoin is unknown.
