Tufts wins 1-0 in penalty strokes

The Jumbo defense held fast and its offense was clutch, sparking the field hockey team to an important 1-0 NESCAC victory in strokes over visiting Trinity College on Saturday in Medford.

After going 70 minutes of regulation and two 15 minute periods of overtime without scoring, Tufts out-shot the Bantams 3-2 in penalty strokes to push its league record back above .500, to 3-2.

Jumbo shooters freshman Lizzy Oxler, junior Jayme Heller, and sophomore Therese Coresello netted the three Jumbo strokes, sending them past the Bantams tough senior goalkeeper Gwen Gillespie. Gillespie had 12 saves on the day.

For the Jumbos, freshman goalkeeper Marilyn Duffy-Cabana earned her first win, coming in for the shootout. Fellow freshman goaltender Angela Rappoli played for the Jumbos in regulation, without allowing a goal.

The important win came on a day filled with quirks, including a late referee delaying the start of the game for 20 minutes, Air Force jets buzzing the field en route to Fenway Park, the scoreboard breaking at half-time, and a rowdy Trinity fan trying to disrupt the Jumbos during the penalty strokes, who promptly got an earful from Tufts coach Carol Rappoli.

"That was just bush league," Rappoli said. "Here we have amateur athletics at its finest, in one of the best games all season, and he has to come and try to take away from these players. There's no class in that."

The fan was standing along with 50 or so onlookers during the shoot-out, when he blurted out an obscenity during Jumbo scoring-leader Lea Napolitano's shot. The rest of the crowd had been silent out of courtesy to the players.

None of the oddities, however, could take away from the Jumbo victory.

"This win was huge. I have to be honest, we would have had an uphill struggle if we had lost today," Rappoli said. "We played with so much energy. Because we won, it probably gets us into the [post-season] tournament."

Again without senior co-captain midfielder Willow Hagge due to injury, Tufts set the tone in the first few minutes with its tough defense halting a Trinity offensive drive.

Heller, freshman midfielder Stacey Watkins, and senior co-captain defender Kelly Sarson all had multiple defensive stops which highlighted a day of coordinated team-play on the part of the Jumbos. Angela Rappoli saved what did slip through the defense.

With 13:25 left in the first half, two low-altitude Air Force F-15s whizzed over Huskins Field on their way to Fenway Park, slowing play and sending a few players' eyes upwards. The Bantams, trying to take advantage of the opportunity, slipped through the Jumbo right side and into the scoring circle, shooting on Rappoli who made a leaping grab to her left to save the goal. It turned out to be one of Trinity's last credible offensive opportunities.

"We ended up having more shots, and more opportunities," junior midfielder Beth Van Kampen said. "We actually played a very offensive game."

The Jumbo attack featured handy stick-work by junior midfielder Dana Panzer, who along with Watkins, Napolitano, and freshman forward Tracey Rittenour put enough pressure on the Bantams defense to wear them out, and set up the Jumbo victory on strokes.

"We were confident going into the penalty strokes," Panzer said. "They were more tired than us."

After the 100 minutes of scoreless play, Panzer began the shoot-out, glancing a well-hit shot off the metal bar atop the goal. Trinity couldn't respond following a diving save by Duffy-Cabana, setting the table for Oxler who sank her shot midway up through the left side.

"I always go for the same spot," Oxler said. "We practice [the shoot-out] each day for at least five minutes, and I'm usually pretty consistent with that one spot."

After the incident with the fan and strokes tied at 1-1 with two shooters left, Heller flicked her shot through the left side and Corsello followed suit in the same location, giving Tufts its three goals and sending it home victorious after Trinity miss-hit its final shot.

"I was ready to score," Corsello said. "I just wanted to get the ball in the net."