Field hockey pitches shut out

The field hockey team began its NESCAC season in successful fashion on Saturday as they traveled to Amherst and shut out the Lady Jeffs 1-0. The win was a big confidence booster for the team as Tufts has not beat Amherst since 1998.

After a season opening loss against Bentley college last week, the Jumbos rallied to push their record to 1-1. In last year's match-up, it was Amherst walking away with a 1-0 shutout and ending last season ranked eleventh in the nation in Division III. This year however, the roles were reversed.

"We were expecting a tough game," senior co-captain Ursala Stahl said. "But we've always played well against Amherst, so we knew were capable of beating them."

Tuft's lone goal came from sophomore Jennie Sachs with 10:55 left in the second half. She was able to convert on a pass from freshman Jeanne Grabowski, giving her two goals on the season. Sachs was also responsible for Tufts only goal in last weekend's overtime loss against Bentley.

"I got the hit from outside," Sachs said. "It was a great hit. I was able to get my stick on the ball and it went in the goal."

The Jumbo offense routed the Lady Jeff defenders, as it posted nine attempted shots and nine penalty corners. Meanwhile, Tufts held Amherst to only five attempts and three penalty corners. Amherst was slow to come alive, as it posted only one attempt in the first half.

"The defense played a great game," Stahl said. "We didn't have any defensive corners in the first half, which gave the offense the opportunity to capitalize."

Amherst picked up the intensity in the second half, with four attempted shots, none of which was able to find the back of the net. Junior goalkeeper Julie Jackson had two saves, compared to Amherst goalkeeper Anne McMullen's five saves.

"It was an offensive game," Sachs said. "We probably could have beaten them by a lot more than just 1-0. Both our offense and defense are playing really strong right now. We can get the ball up in the circle, now we just need to put it in the net."

But one goal was all that was needed to put this game away. The Jumbos are showing a complete turnaround from last year's team, which posted a dismal 3-10 record.

This year the Jumbos appear to be moving in the right direction. Despite losing to Bentley last weekend, Tufts was able to give the defending Division II champions a run for their money. Bentley was able to squeak out the win in overtime, 2-1. The Jumbos were then able to come back and beat a team that it has struggled against for the past three years.

"We played so well together," Stahl said. "We still had the momentum from last week's game. This week we upped the level of play and excelled."

Next week, the Jumbos will be playing two games at home. On Wednesday, Tufts will go up against Wellesley at four o'clock. The Jumbos have been 1-2 in their past three meetings with the Blue.

Following this matchup will be a NESCAC game against Connecticut College on Saturday at one o'clock. Tufts has won two of their last three games against the Camels.

"Right now we are trying to shape up every aspect of our game," Stahl said. "There is always room for improvement. Our attitudes are high right now so we want to just go out and keep on winning.