The women's soccer team will be facing a week-long layoff for the second consecutive week when it faces Bates tomorrow in its annual homecoming game.
The Jumbos will need to shake off any rust quickly against a formidable opponent, the Bobcats.
Unlike last week, however, this extended period of time-off was unexpected.
The Jumbos had their Tuesday match and its subsequent Wednesday make-up game against Babson postponed due to rain, making tomorrow's game the first at home for Tufts in three weeks.
"I don't think it was too bad for us," senior goalie Meg McCourt said. "It gave us time to focus on this weekend and get our girls, especially the injured ones, rested."
The team will be trying to build on its performance in last weekend's 1-1 double-overtime tie at Amherst, in which last year's leading scorer, senior forward Jen Baldwin, returned from injury to score her first goal of the season.
Tufts, however, is still searching for its elusive first victory of the year, hoping it will come tomorrow morning. The Jumbos are 0-2-2 overall (0-1-2 NESCAC) and tied with Connecticut College for seventh place in the conference.
"We need to come out with a lot of intensity," McCourt added. "We know exactly what we need to do to win, we just need to come out and get it done."
With the second-half goal against Amherst, the Jumbos ended their long scoreless streak that had spanned four games.
The squad has yet to score two goals in a game and will look to Baldwin, junior forward Sarah Callaghan, and others to score and keep the offense rolling.
The defense, meanwhile, will do its best to keep the Bates offense at bay. The Bobcats have already scored 12 goals in five games this year.
The only injury question for the team this weekend will be senior Catherine Benedict, who missed last weekend's game with a stomach injury and is questionable for tomorrow.
If Benedict is unable to go, Whiting will likely use the shaken-up lineup she introduced last weekend, with senior Alina Schmidt playing center fullback, surrounded on the back line by sophomores Jen Fratto and Jackie Thomas, and freshman Joelle Emery.
The Jumbos will be looking for a different outcome to this year's Homecoming game, as the squad lost to Bowdoin 1-0 last year.
Both players and coaches hope that the presence of former players will give the team an energy boost and lead to stronger play.
"There's a sense of pride, playing in front of former teammates," McCourt said. "We want to show them we're continuing on and that we still have a great program."
Tufts will not have long to reflect on its game tomorrow, since the team hosts Worcester State on Sunday in non-league action. The Lancers are in quite a different position than the Jumbos.
Compared to Tufts' four, Worcester State has played eight games already this season, posting a respectable 5-2-1 record. The team has a very balanced offense, as eight players have already found the net.
The Jumbos are looking to this weekend to give them some much-needed momentum going into the second half of league play. Following the two games this weekend, the team heads to Brandeis to play a non-league game against the Judges on Tuesday.
With that game, Tufts will be playing as many games in four days as it has in the previous two and a half weeks. The games should give the Jumbos an opportunity to develop a rhythm, something that has been difficult to grasp with a spread-out schedule.
This weekend could be the deciding factor for a Tufts team that is looking to turn the corner. With a pair of wins, the Jumbos can build confidence and elevate themselves in the conference race, meaning that this year, Homecoming will hold a greater importance than in past years.
