Disappointing end to a successful season

It's starting to become a routine for the women's soccer team, if only every other year. Double-digit wins, a top-25 national ranking, an NCAA Tournament berth. This year was no exception, as the Jumbos posted a 13-4-1 record en route to their third NCAA appearance in five years.

The season even ended in another heartbreaking loss, as the Jumbos fell 1-0 to Keene State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on a rainy, cold, and muddy day. The Owls scored on an own goal by Tufts, and the Jumbos failed to capitalize on a number of great opportunities in the last 25 minutes.

"We'll never make excuses for ourselves. We didn't put the ball in the net, and we had opportunities. But it's difficult when you have those conditions on the field," coach Martha Whiting said. "It was a sad way to end. We were a good team, and it's hard to be the one sitting at home watching."

But although it ended in an NCAA appearance, the year did not start off as well as the team had hoped. A large number of players trying out pushed the final cuts back, and the team had only been together for a few days when it traveled to Wenham, MA to face Gordon. Despite controlling much of the play, the Jumbos wound up losing 2-0 to a surprising Fighting Scot team that would go on to win its first ten and finish 18-3-1.

"Preseason felt rushed. By the time we had our team together, we had five practices before our first game, and Gordon had been together for about three weeks," Whiting said. "Starting the season on a loss is hard, especially when you see the talent that you have and the potential that's there."

But Tufts bounced back, picking up what would turn out to be a crucial road victory over Amherst, a team that entered the season ranked number two in the country after making it to the NCAA Finals in 2001.

"We came out and dominated that game for 90 minutes," senior co-captain Cara Glassanos said. "It was amazing soccer, and it was just a sneak preview of the capabilities of our team."

The team won its next game, against Babson, before dropping a 1-0 decision to Conn College on somewhat of a fluke goal. But the Jumbos again rebounded quickly, winning their next six games, including a comeback win on the road in overtime against the previously undefeated Bowdoin Polar Bears, then ranked number one in New England.

The win against Bowdoin was pivotal.

"We showed that we could come from behind and beat a really good team," sophomore Jen Baldwin said. It got us all excited and gave us the confidence we needed to compete with the best NESCAC teams."

The last two wins in the streak were also big for the Jumbos, as they snapped out of a goal-scoring slump, posting 5-1 and 4-2 victories over Trinity and Wesleyan.

"We scored more goals against Trinity than we had scored in NESCAC all season," Baldwin said. "So for a team struggling with offense it was a great self-esteem booster."

But the trouble they had had putting the ball in the net was a trend that would come back to haunt them, as they scored just three goals in their last four regular season games.

After beating Wesleyan, the team lost 2-0 to Williams, then tied Middlebury 0-0 on the road, missing out on a chance to take sole possession of first place in the NESCAC after Williams and Amherst also played to a scoreless tie.

Following a mid-week 2-0 win over non-conference Simmons, the Jumbos beat Colby 1-0 to finish their regular season schedule. Then they waited for the results from around the league, as tiebreakers would determine their seed in the NESCAC Tournament. Tufts ended up with the top seed and a first-round bye.

"That day was crazy," Whiting said. "Waiting for the results from the other teams was just so tense and exciting, and fortunately it ended up working out in our favor."

When the tournament started, the team stepped up its play another notch, determined to prove that it deserved its number one seed. The Jumbos had even more motivation, as they got the opportunity to face the two NESCAC teams that had beaten them in the regular season. Tufts avenged both losses, taking down Conn 2-1 before becoming the first team since 1995 to score three goals in a game against Williams, winning 3-0 to take the conference title.

"It's not often that you get a chance to play a team again, so it's great when you have that opportunity," Whiting said. "Sometimes it can be a little daunting to go into a game thinking 'they beat us already, they have our number', but this group is great. They saw it as a challenge, and as a chance for payback."

The win over Williams was especially sweet, as the team played what Whiting described as the best game she had seen her team play since its run to the NCAA Finals in 2000.

"I can't even describe how amazing that was," Whiting said. "It's not often that you beat Williams, but to go out there and just dominate them like that and score three goals was awesome. It says a lot about our team, and the ability that we have."

The NESCAC championship gave Tufts an automatic bid to the NCAAs, where they were the conference's sole representative. The team beat Nichols 4-0 in the first round before losing to Keene State.

With the season over, the Jumbos will lose a small but very talented group of seniors.

"The seniors are such an awesome group, as players, as people, and as teammates." Whiting said. Co-captain Alle Sharlip rounds out her career with 20 points on six goals and eight assists, while midfielder EA Tooley finishes with 11 goals and three assists; Brenna O'Rourke had two goals and three assists. Co-captain Glassanos compiled six goals and two assists in three years, while anchoring one of the conference's best defenses.

Glassanos, who missed her freshman year with an injury, has yet to completely rule out the possibility of returning for a fourth season, but has hinted that her soccer career has probably come to an end. Jeanne Kehrberger played for Tufts as a graduate student in 1999 after missing the '98 season with a torn ACL.

That will leave the team in the hands of the four juniors, who all play important roles for the team both on and off the field. Jess Trombly and Becca Doigan provide two strong scoring threats, while Abby Herzberg and Jess Lovitz will be the cornerstones of Tufts' defense. Trombly, a former NESCAC Rookie of the Year, is the team's active leading scorer, with 44 points.

"We have a great group of juniors," Whiting said. "It'll be a natural progression for them to step up next year and take over that role that this year's seniors have had."

The sophomore class is perhaps the team's strongest, in part because of its size. The class makes up over a third of the team, and nearly every player has a crucial role.

Included in that group is transfer Jen Baldwin. With the graduation last year of Lynn Cooper, the team's second all-time leading scorer (34G, 17A), the Jumbos were in need of another spark on offense. As luck would have it, Whiting had one fall into her lap, in the form of Baldwin, who transferred from Johns Hopkins. Baldwin led her team in scoring for the second straight season, racking up 22 points on nine goals and four assists a year after leading Hopkins with 12 goals and 11 assists.

"We definitely lucked out with Jen," Whiting said. "We relied so heavily on Coop for so long, and then she's gone. We had Becca [Doigan] and [Jess] Trombly coming back, who are two great forwards, but it was huge to have Jen be able to come and step in."

The sophomore class also includes goalkeeper Meg McCourt, who started regularly for the first time this year. She has posted nine career shutouts in 19 starts, and her current .76 GAA would rank second in Tufts history.

Although this year's freshmen class did not get quite as much playing time as last year's did, they still made a significant impact. Defender Ariel Samuelson saw the most action, starting nine games after Alina Schmidt went down with a back injury.

Sarah Callaghan, Lindsey Garmirian, and Lydia Claudio all contributed on offense, combining for five goals and three assists, although Claudio missed the second half of the season with a stress fracture in her foot.

Although it ended earlier than players and fans would have liked, the Jumbos are still pleased with the way their season turned out.

"Overall, the year was a huge success," Glassanos said. "The end was disappointing, but that doesn't take away from everything we've accomplished. I couldn't have asked for more. It was a great way to end my soccer career. It was a great team, and I look forward to seeing them come back next season. They have huge potential."