With everybody finally healthy again (knock on wood), the women's soccer team could once again be a force to be reckoned with in the NESCAC.
The squad tallied two straight victories this weekend, its first two of the season, and after just two goals in its first four games, the Jumbos scored five over the weekend. Perhaps more impressive was that each goal came from a different player. Tufts played 21 of its 22 players on the afternoon, with only backup goalie Annie Ross not seeing any action.
Indeed, the squad's depth was a huge reason for its weekend success. The play of its five first years, Martha Furtek, Lauren Fedore, Kim Harrington, Joelle Emery, and Anne Benedict was impressive, and the freshmen give coach Martha Whiting multiple options on the field.
Since last Saturday, junior Ariel Samuelson moved up to play forward, the position she played in high school, with Emery starting in the backfield in her place.
"I'm a forward at heart, I like it better up there," Samuelson said. "I'm a greedy girl, but with various injuries, our offense needed some oomph. Joelle has really stepped up in the back."
Senior defensive leader Catherine Benedict echoed Samuelson's sentiments.
"Joelle comes in and really makes my job easier," she said. "She's a huge addition to the team and her allowing Ariel to move up is big for us."
The additions of Harrington and the younger Benedict up front have allowed senior co-captain Becky Greenstein to move into the defensive center midfield position, and while she admits it has taken some getting used to, she feels it's a good change for the squad.
"Its definitely a big adjustment and it takes a lot of discipline to stay back," Greenstein said, "but it worked well against Amherst and Bates and I think we're going to stick with it."
Furtek has had no trouble stepping into the role of center midfielder, a position that the Jumbos struggled to fill since the graduation of co-captain Alle Sharlip two years ago.
The Falmouth, Maine native has shown no signs of nerves despite being thrown into the college game so suddenly, and has quickly gained the respect of her teammates and coaches. After Worcester State scored an early goal on Sunday, Furtek imeediately jogged back and patted senior goalie Meg McCourt on the back, as if she were a veteran captain.
"Martha is a great, talented player, and she's very mature as a freshman," Whiting noted.
Furtek's comfort and ease in the midfield has allowed Whiting to keep senior Jen Baldwin, a constant scoring threat, up front, whereas at times last season Baldwin was forced to play in the midfield. In addition, junior Lydia Claudio also now has moved to the forward position, where she is more of a threat to put the ball in the net.
Fedore has been forced to step up big already this season, due to early injuries to junior Sarah Callaghan and Baldwin, who both played this weekend. Fedore notched her first goal of the season on Saturday in what proved to be the game winner against Bates.
"The team has been great so far," Fedore said. "They always talk to us on the field, telling us where to go and helping us learn as quickly as possible."
Heading into the heart of their season, or what senior co-captain Sarah Gelb calls "rocktober," the Jumbos picked the perfect time to get healthy, gel, and start playing well, and Whiting attributes a lot of that to the depth of her squad.
"It's great to be able to look at the bench and put in anybody and know they will do just as good a job as the girl coming out," she said.
