Although the 2004 field hockey season has produced no shortageof highlights and headlines, the team remains plagued byinconsistency, as decisive wins continue to be capped byfrustrating setbacks.
The latest, a 1-0 loss to Bowdoin in a key NESCAC game onSaturday, halted a two-game winning streak that provided some ofthe elusive momentum the Jumbos have sought all season, and droppedthe team's record to 5-3 (2-3, NESCAC).
Bowdoin got a late goal from senior captain Colleen McDonald andheld for the win on its home turf. This is the team's seventhconsecutive win over Tufts, including a season-ending 6-0 rout inthe 2003 NESCAC Quarterfinals.
Saturday's match nudged the Polar Bears up to 5-3 overall, and3-2 against conference opponents.
The one-goal loss came on the heels of a highly successful weekin which the Jumbos notched two easy shutouts over Babson andBates, scoring a combined five goals and out-shooting theopposition 50-12.
However, this intensity on both ends of the field was met withan equally strong push from the Polar Bears that locked the twoteams in a stalemate for much of the game.
Tight defensive play around the cage, along with five saves fromboth Tufts sophomore Marilyn Duffy-Cabana and Bowdoin sophomoreKate Leonard - a NESCAC Player of the Week in September - kept bothsides scoreless despite a combined 19 shots in the first half.
McDonald broke the game open when she edged a shot aroundDuffy-Cabana on a penalty corner with just over eight minutesremaining in the match.
The game-winner was the fifth of the season for McDonald, andwas just enough for the Polar Bears to ward off a determined andskilled Jumbo squad.
This was the closest contest between the two teams in recentyears, and seemed the most likely opportunity for the Jumbos toeven the record.
"In the past, we hadn't had nearly as good of a chance ofwinning," junior tri-captain Jeanne Grabowski said. "We reallycould have done it today. We let down a bit and didn'tcapitalize."
Tough play by the Jumbos' defense kept the game close and thescore low, despite facing 29 shots from a Bowdoin offensive linethat has scored 22 goals this season and has three players indouble-digit points.
Aside from a one-sided loss to Middlebury, the Tufts defense hasplayed exceptionally well this year, allowing only four goals inthe teams' other seven games.
"We played outstanding defense today," coach Tina McDavitt said."We were really strong in the back and very much able to keep upwith them and keep the game close."
The offensive line, which has been powerful but inconsistentthis season, was unable to convert on any of its 18 shots ongoal.
"We moved the ball really well," senior tri-captain Dana Panzersaid. "We just weren't able to put the ball in the net."
Panzer, the team leader in goals (8), assists (5) and points(21), was turned away on all five attempts on Saturday.
The shutout put an end to her scoring streak, which carriedthrough six consecutive games dating back to Sept. 15.
The two teams' schedules and results this year demonstrate themany variables in play in any given match-up.
Bowdoin lost to both Colby and Wellesley, two teams that yieldedwins for the Jumbos, but shut out Amherst 5-0, to whom Tufts lost2-1 in overtime, and narrowly fell to Middlebury, Tufts' mostlopsided loss of the season.
The closeness of Saturday's game was both disappointing andmotivating, and although the Jumbos were unable to break theirlosing streak against Bowdoin, they are confidently looking aheadto Thursday's contest with non-league opponent Bentley at home.
Bello Field has not yet seen a Jumbo loss this season, as Tuftsremains undefeated at home, having outscored its opponents 15-1 onits new turf.
The Falcons, who are 13-1 this season in the Div. IINortheast-10 conference, have come out on top in the last fivemeetings between the two teams, escaping with narrow, one-goalvictories the past four seasons.
In a preseason interview, McDavitt said that she aimed to turnlast season's six one-goal losses into wins. Thursday's game willbe a key opportunity.
