Women seek to get back on winning track

It's been an up and down season for the lady Jumbos this fall, as they enter their homecoming game against Bates with a 2-2 record.

After dropping their season opener to out-of-conference Gordon College, the women rebounded on the road for a victory against Amherst, followed the next weekend by a victory against Babson. Just as it seemed that the Jumbos were getting back on the winning track though, the women lost a 1-0 nail bitter to Conn. College last weekend.

The women, who currently sit in fifth place in the NESCAC standings, hope to get back on the winning track with a victory over 3-2 Bates, currently in third place in the standings.

The team's weakness in its losses has been its inability to start the offense, as it was shut out in both losses. Scoring against Bates should not pose too great a problem this weekend, though, as the Bobcats have yet to hold their opponents scoreless this season.

Although Bates is typically a cellar-dweller in most sports, Tufts fell at the hands of the Bobcats last year in a close fought 1-0 game. The Jumbos will strive to avoid a similar fate this season, with a strong defensive unit. Defense has been the Jumbos forte thus far, as they have held opponents to an average of .6 points per game.

This defense will undoubtedly come into play against the Bobcats on Saturday, as Bates is coming off of a number of high-scoring games. Bates defeated Colby 5-3 for its first NESCAC victory of the year, and beat Trinity by a score of 3-1.

The Tufts offense, meanwhile, has remained stagnant this season. The team has a combined three goals through its first four contests, though one of those goals came in its win against nationally ranked Amherst. Amherst followed that loss up by defeating Bates in a hard 1-0 game. If the Jumbos are to take out the Bobcats, defense will be the name of the game.

And though the women currently sit below Bates in the league standings with a lower winning percentage, the New England Standings has the Jumbos ranked as tenth while Bates remains out of the top ten.

After reaching NCAA Championship game in 2000, the women did not live up to high expectations the next year, when they lost to Amherst in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. Because only four seniors graduated last year, much of the team remains in tact this season and together they hope to achieve the high expectations many have set for them.

Also joining the team this season is sophomore transfer Jen Baldwin who received the honors of NESCAC player of the week recently. Scoring the lone goal in her team's 1-0 victory over Amherst, Baldwin has made an immediate impact on her team.

Together with her team the women team hope to get their team back into the win column this weekend with a win over Bates. The game kicks off at 11 a.m on Kraft Field this Saturday