Tufts clinches NESCAC title with 1-0 win over Colby

Sometimes, all you need is luck.

With a 1-0 win over Colby and some key, albeit unlikely, outcomes in the other conference games, the women's soccer team took the NESCAC title, earning a first-round bye in the conference tournament and the right to host the semi-final and final round games.

Coming into the weekend, the Jumbos could not control their own fate, and even a victory over Colby only guaranteed them a spot somewhere in the top three. To get the number-one seed in the conference tournament, the team needed some help.

Before the Tufts-Colby game had even started, the results were in from the three 11 a.m. games, and things did not look promising for the Brown and Blue. Although Bowdoin and Williams won, posting 2-1 and 5-0 scores over Bates and Wesleyan, Trinity had tied Amherst 1-1.

That left the door open for either Conn College or Middlebury, playing each other at 1:30 p.m., to move into fourth place and, because of the tiebreaker scenarios, drop Tufts to second or even third. To keep that from happening, the Jumbos would need neither to win.

The team waited anxiously in the Baronian Field House after its win over Colby, cell phones buzzing as players, coaches, and parents tried anyone and everyone in hopes of getting an update from Conn. After what seemed like an eternity, it suddenly came, with sophomore goalkeeper Meg McCourt breaking the news with an exuberant "It's over! They tied 1-1!" The room exploded in celebration, and then, a few minutes later, did so again, when coach Martha Whiting got the official call from the NESCAC office to confirm the news.

"It's really great to get the bye," Whiting said. "It's not an easy thing to have to play one day at your hardest and really have to win, and then to go out and play the next day and play just as hard."

"Hosting the tournament is awesome," senior co-captain Alle Sharlip added. "I think it increases our chances of winning the whole thing and going on to NCAAs."

To get the number-one spot, the Jumbos first had to beat Colby, who entered the game at 5-8 (1-7 NESCAC). As expected, Tufts dominated the play, keeping up a steady attack on the White Mules. But, as has been the case for most of the year, the Jumbos had trouble putting the ball into the net.

"Last week [against Simmons] we had 42 shots and only two goals, and that's kind of an indicator of our lack of offensive ability at the moment," sophomore Jen Baldwin said. "Our scoring opportunities are there, we just haven't finished them.

It's really frustrating."

The game's lone goal came in the 34th minute, as senior defender Cara Glassanos knocked in her second score of the year. After taking a pass from sophomore midfielder Catherine Benedict, Glassanos rifled a hard line-drive shot towards the right post, where Colby keeper Elizabeth Riley could only get her fingertips on it to deflect it into the net.

One goal was all Tufts would need, as the team held its opponent scoreless for the third game in a row. McCourt needed to make just two saves to record her sixth shutout of the season.

But while the Jumbos out-shot Colby 11-0 in the first half, and 25-5 on the day, they did not seem to be playing with the same amount of intensity they had shown against tougher teams. Despite being out-played, Colby was able to hang around, down just one, as Tufts was unable to put the game out of reach against a weaker opponent.

"We did ok," Sharlip said. "We didn't play a great game, and we could have played better. I felt like people we're pretty relaxed, and weren't very intense about it, including myself. But we needed a win, and that's what we got."

"We were definitely the better team, and should have put them away," senior Elizabeth Tooley added. "We just haven't been able to put the ball in the back of the net."

Colby picked it up over the final stretch, making things interesting as they pushed the ball into Jumbo territory and created a couple of good scoring chances. But the Tufts defense was up to the challenge, clearing the ball out and securing the shutout.

"I don't think it was our best game, but we did what we had to _ we got it done," Glassanos said. "But if you look at teams like Williams and Amherst, they kill these teams three or four to nothing. We go out there and squeak out a 1-0 win."

Tufts finishes the regular season with a 10-3-1 mark, and will wind up with double-digit wins for just the fifth time in the program's history, but the third in the last five years.

"It's great. I'm very happy with the way the season's going," senior Elizabeth Tooley said. "We finished first in the NESCAC, now hopefully we can win the tournament and go on to NCAAs. I think we have a very good chance, as long as we play the way we can, and put some balls in the back of the net."

The first round bye in the NESCAC Tournament gave Tufts the day off yesterday, while the other six teams in the tournament played their first-round games. The Jumbos will use the upcoming week not only to prepare, but also to rest some beat-up bodies. Junior Jess Trombly and sophomores Sarah Gelb and Alina Schmidt are all working their way back from minor injuries, and will benefit from the time off.

"It's good to have a week to prepare for the next team we're going to play," Whiting said. "We'll use the time wisely. We'll get some rest in there, because bodies are beat up and people are sick. It'll be great to kind of recover a bit, but also to work on some things to prepare for Saturday's game."

"It's huge to be able to come out on to the field after not having to play for an entire week," Glassanos added. "It can really affect your game, and I think this week off will be great for people to recover."

Tufts will play Connecticut College next Saturday, while Williams and Bowdoin will meet on Kraft Field in the other semi-final game. The winners will play Sunday for the NESCAC Championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.