The women's soccer team upped its winning streak to five straight games yesterday, defeating the Worcester State Lancers 1-0, in Worcester behind a lone goal from senior tri-captain Lindsay Garmirian.
The win puts the Jumbos at 5-1 overall (2-1, NESCAC) on the season, and also secures the squad's regional number one ranking heading into this weekend's conference bout with the Bates Bobcats.
"We didn't play badly, but we certainly didn't play our best," senior tri-captain Sarah Callaghan said. "We just couldn't put the ball in the net. We ended up doing what we had to do, though, putting the ball in the goal and getting the victory. A win's a win so we'll take it."
Despite getting off 18 shots in the game, the Jumbos were unable to capitalize on any of their opportunities until late in the second half. With 4:00 left in regulation, senior tri-captain Ariel Samuelson sent a high corner kick into the box. Sophomore Lauren Fedore headed the ball to Callaghan, who then headed it into the center of the box. There waited Lindsay Garmirian, who took possession of the ball and drilled it into the net to give Tufts the only goal in the game.
Junior Annie Ross earned her second shutout of the season, tallying four saves in the effort and bringing her record to 5-1 on the season.
The game was the first time the Jumbos were forced to play on a turf field this season, and even after practicing on Tufts' own Bello field this week, the squad was still a little shaky at the start.
"They're used to playing on the turf and we aren't," Callaghan said, "so it took us a while to settle down. It was a completely different game and we're going to be happy to get back on the grass."
The Jumbos will return to conference action on Saturday, leaving the comforts of Kraft Field for Lewiston, Maine, where they will take on a Bates. The Bobcats sport a 3-1 record and currently find themselves in first place in the conference, half a game ahead of a batch of teams, including Tufts, at 2-1.
The Bobcats are coming off a prolific scoring weekend against conference opponents Conn College and Trinity, coming away with 6-1 and 7-1 victories, respectively. Junior forward Kim Alexander was named NESCAC Player of the Week for her efforts in the games, tallying four goals over the weekend to bring her total to five on the season, good for second in the conference.
Bates' third win came at the hands of the Bowdoin Polar Bears, a squad who the Jumbos have yet to face, but the Bobcats' one loss this season came at home against the Amherst Lord Jeffs, a team Tufts dominated last weekend.
"Every NESCAC game is huge for us," Callaghan said. "It's our third away game of the week, and we're not going to worry about them, but just worry about ourselves and playing up to our potential. We finally have everyone back, and we have yet to play a perfect game, so we're just going to go out tomorrow and work on playing the way we know how to play."
The Jumbos will counter on attack with a few NESCAC leaders of their own. Senior co-captains Ariel Samuelson and Callaghan currently sit tied for fourth in the conference in points per game (2.00) and total points (10). Samuelson is tied for fourth in the conference in goals scored with four and goals per game (.80), while Callaghan leads the NESCAC in assists and assists per game with six and 1.16, respectively.
The defense will certainly have its hands full in dealing with Alexander, but countering tough offenses is certainly nothing new for the Jumbos. After having shut down the Middlebury and Amherst attacks, the back four Jumbos and Ross are more than ready to take on the challenge.
"Our defense has been playing really well together, so I'm not too worried," Callaghan said. "We need to continue to play compactly and not let them get the ball through us or over our heads. We just need to keep playing team defense like we've been doing and we'll be fine."
