A ricochet off the post by senior co-captain Lea Napolitano had the fans on their feet in premature celebration. As a result, those in attendance had an unobstructed view as Middlebury proceeded to execute a ten-second turnaround, running the length of the field and finishing with a perfectly-aimed lift into the top corner of the cage from sophomore Lacey Farrell.
A second goal, notched less than two minutes later by freshman Taryn Petrelli, gave the Panthers all they needed to hold off the Jumbos by a 2-0 score.
Excluding this two-minute stretch midway through the second half, Saturday's NESCAC field hockey match-up between Middlebury and Tufts was dead even. Both sides remained scoreless for the first 46 minutes, despite a combined 11 penalty corners and 12 shots on goal in the opening period. Tufts' junior goalkeeper Marilyn Duffy-Cabana nabbed six saves in the first half and 12 on the game, while at the other end, Middlebury junior Meghan McGillen recorded eight saves in the win.
The Jumbos faced an explosive and experienced Middlebury offense that averaged 4.62 goals per game last season - nearly double that of the next highest scoring team - and has scored eight goals in three games this season. The key to Tufts' success was effectively shutting down the midfield, with Napolitano and junior defender Stacey Watkins anchoring a solid core down the middle. The Panthers were forced to run the sidelines, where the Tufts flanks were ready.
"We talked a lot about channeling them to the side, moving with them instead of running at them," sophomore forward Ileana Katz said. "If you let them come straight at you, you're going to get burned, but instead we did a great job keeping them wide and handling their speed."
Though Middlebury held the advantage in all offensive categories, the lead was slim in the stat book, and all but invisible on the field. Coach Tina McDavitt attributed the goals to some tired legs on the field, as the Jumbos continue to play shorthanded due to injuries. In addition, McDavitt acknowledged the role of momentum in the second shot.
"We were definitely a little tired," she said. "We're short on subs, and we're essentially out four starters, which is tough."
Sophomore forward Corey Green has been sidelined for the season with an ACL injury, and both sophomore defender Meghan Becque and junior forward Kathleen Martin remain out of action. In addition, the absence of senior co-captain Jeanne Grabowski - who was out of town on Saturday - left a hole at right midfielder, a position which connects the offense and defense on the team's strong-stick side.
"Jeanne's our captain, and she's very vocal and commanding on the field," said junior Lizzy Oxler, who stepped in to fill the vacancy. "But I think we showed our strength as a unit in our ability to adjust. We're strong across the mid- and backfields, and our forwards are fast enough and skilled enough [to compensate for individual absences]."
The 2-0 final score was a far cry from last year's 7-1 outcome when the teams met in Middlebury. This year proved that the Jumbos can hang with the nation's best. The Panthers, who advanced to last year's NCAA title game before falling to Salisbury, are currently ranked No. 2 nationally, and are undefeated this season at 3-0 (2-0 NESCAC).
"This was better without a doubt," Katz said. "We're disappointed that we lost, but proud of how we played."
These sentiments were echoed by Middlebury senior forward Janie Mackey, the NESCAC 2004 Player of the Year, who contributed two of the Panthers' seven tallies last season.
"I was really impressed with [Tufts'] fitness level and their speed," she said. "We really pride ourselves on our own speed, and they were really pushing us and challenging us this year."
"I think coming off of Wellesley, this showed that we can break out of a loss and still play well," Oxler said. "I think it set the tone in a positive way for our NESCAC season."
A question mark looms over the team's success this season, however, as Watkins went down with a foot injury in the final minutes of the game. While McDavitt emphasizes the team's depth, the loss of a defensive anchor certainly would be a body blow to the Tufts lineup.
The Jumbos fell to 1-2 with the loss, but look to even their record with a Tuesday game at non-conference Gordon, before returning to Bello Field for a match-up with Amherst next Saturday.
