Luckily for the women's soccer team, the only thing that shows up in the standings is a W.
The Jumbos did not play their best soccer of the season, but nonetheless came away with a 3-2 victory over the Wesleyan Cardinals in NESCAC action on Kraft Field yesterday afternoon. The win moved the Jumbos to 4-3-2 overall on the season, and 3-1-2 in the NESCAC, good for third place in the conference. The loss kept the Cardinals in last place in the conference with a 3-7 overall record (1-5, NESCAC).
"I'm excited about the win, but I'm somewhat disappointed with the intensity the girls showed for the entire 90 minutes," coach Martha Whiting said.
"Its hard to come out for a weekday game because people have so much other stuff on their minds," senior co-captain Becky Greenstein added. "But a win doesn't have to be pretty all the time and a win is a win, so we're happy about that."
The Jumbos, who have had trouble getting up for midweek games in the past, came out flat to start the game, but still kept the ball largely on Wesleyan's side of the field. They were unable to capitalize on numerous shot opportunities early, but strong defensive pressure by Tufts' back four kept the ball out of the Jumbos' zone for the majority of the first half.
Finally, in the waning minutes of the first half, the Jumbos were able to get on the scoreboard. Junior defensive center midfielder Lydia Claudio gained control of the ball 30 yards from the Wesleyan net and ripped a shot that deflected off a Wesleyan defender out of bounds.
Freshman offensive center midfielder Martha Furtek took the ensuing corner kick, and sent a perfect feed to the front post where junior Sarah Callaghan was waiting. Callaghan, with no defenders within reach, deflected a header at the right post, past Cardinal senior goalie Kelly McFarling to give Tufts a 1-0 lead on her second goal of the season. The assist was the first point of Furtek's collegiate career.
However, like in so many previous games, the Jumbos experienced a mental letdown for the next minute, which cost them severely. Wesleyan sent the ball into the Tufts zone on the subsequent face off, and a defensive miscommunication awarded the Cardinals a corner kick. A Wesleyan midfielder sent a perfect corner into the middle of the net, and among a cluster of Wesleyan attackers, freshman Marcia Whitehead drilled a shot past Tufts senior goalie Meg McCourt to knot things up at one.
"It was a mental letdown on our part," Whiting said. "We cannot allow that to happen in bigger games."
In the second half, the Jumbos looked a little sharper on both sides of the ball and the intensity seemed to have kicked up a notch. The Jumbos continued to control possession, but were unable to regain the lead. Finally, in the 20th minute of the half, the Jumbos got the go ahead goal.
Freshman forward Lauren Fedore sent a left footed cross from 35 yards out through the defense. Newly-converted junior forward Ariel Samuelson sprinted through the defense and, in a foot race with the goalie, snuck a roller right past McFarling into the left corner of the net for her first goal of the season to give Tufts a 2-1 advantage.
The goal seemed to spark the Jumbos, who began sending solid shots at the Wesleyan net that barely missed. Tufts looked like it would cruise to a victory in the last 20 minutes, but apparently the Cardinals had other ideas.
With just under eight minutes to play, the Jumbos tried to clear the ball out of the zone, but on what was either a very perfect or very lucky shot, Wesleyan freshman Kyla Donnelly one-timed the ball from 40 yards away over the head of McCourt to equalize the game at two.
In one of the only positives to come out of the game, the Jumbos kept their composure and for the first time all year, capitalized on a lapse in intensity by the opposing team.
Just a minute and a half later, a foul near the midfield line gave the Jumbos a direct kick at the net. Greenstein, whose direct kick goal won the game for the Jumbos on Saturday against Bowdoin, sent a hard-hit ball over the defense and nearly over the outstretched arms of McFarling.
Because the ball was kicked with such force, McFarling, who initially caught the shot, had to drop the ball directly in front of the net to avoid falling into the net and scoring an own-goal. Senior Jen Baldwin crashed the net and put the ball in the net for what turned out to be the game winner.
"The one real bright spot is that after they tied it with eight minutes left, we really stayed composed," Whiting said. "We were able to answer and get a goal, and it's those little things that will move us from a good team to a great team."
The Jumbos will be back in NESCAC action on Saturday in Connecticut against Trinity.
