The Jumbos got on the board early and never looked back in their 2-0 shutout victory over non-league opponent Keene State. On that wet and cold Tuesday evening in New Hampshire, Freshman midfielder Martha Furtek scored just 6:44 into the first half to give Tufts a lead it would not relinquish.
"That goal let us breathe a sigh of relief and took a lot of pressure off," coach Martha Whiting said. "It gave us a big boost of confidence against a team that had been playing well."
Despite the rain, the weather was not much of a factor.
"The ball was a little slick, so we had to make sure we did a good job of getting behind it," Whiting said. "Overall, though, the field was in good shape."
Before the game, the team talked about two of its main objectives: Getting up for a midweek game and not losing intensity after a goal as both things have hampered the Jumbos all year. However, Tuesday was a different story.
"We put it out of our heads that it was a midweek game and forgot about schoolwork and other factors," Whiting said. "In fact, it was the strongest we've come out of the gates all year."
After the early goal, Tufts made sure not to let down.
"We've really been stressing on the field how the five minutes after [a goal] are really important," senior goalie Meg McCourt said. "Intensity has just been picking up as a result of that."
Minutes after the first goal, Owl sophomore forward Tara Wagner took a shot that McCourt saved by deflecting it off the post.
"The girls really made an effort after the goal to keep pressing," Whiting said. "The attack by Keene State was not due to a lack of intensity."
Tufts added an insurance goal in the second half as junior forward Sarah Callaghan scored her third goal of the year, assisted by junior midfielder Lindsay Garmirian. The Jumbos held on as McCourt posted her second consecutive shutout and third overall on the year.
With the win, the Jumbos improved to 6-3-2 while Keene State fell to 9-5-1. Tufts remains in third place in the NESCAC with a solid 4-1-2 record. The loss was the Owls' first at home this year.
The team was again without captain Sarah Gelb, who was held out of the lineup with a sprained ankle. The senior midfielder warmed up before the game, but did not want to take the chance of aggravating her injury with the poor conditions. She hopes to be back in action Saturday.
Tufts returns home for its final two games of the 2004 regular season campaign. Saturday's game will be against a Williams team that is coming off a tough 1-0 loss to first place Middlebury. The Ephs sit in sixth place in the NESCAC at 3-4-0 just behind Bowdoin.
It is either dominate or be dominated for Williams. In the Ephs' six victories this season, they have averaged 3.5 goals. However, they have scored just two goals combined in its other five contests. The team is led by senior forward Lindsay Dwyer who has scored six goals thus far this season.
Tufts will look to jump on Williams early just as they did against Keene State. The Jumbos still have their sights set on moving up in the NESCAC standings in their last two games.
"Keene State is in the past," Whiting said. "We have to come out flying with major intensity at the beginning of the game against Williams. It's more about heart than anything right now."
McCourt agreed.
"We will not go down without a fight," she assured. "We'll kick, bite and claw our way as far as we decide we want to go."
That could be a long way for this team whose struggles have limited its high expectations. However, the Jumbos have won six of their last seven, including four in a row, and have no plans of slowing down any time soon.
"I was saying a couple weeks ago that when it gets down to the wire this team will show its true colors," McCourt said. "It is amazing to be peaking right now."
