Middlebury hadn't lost a NESCAC regular season game since 2003. Coming off a 5-0 drubbing of Norwich, the Panthers came into the game ranked second in the region and 15th in the country, boasting one of the most prolific offenses in the nation.
Apparently, someone forgot to tell all of this to Tufts junior keeper Annie Ross. Ross played her most impressive game as a Jumbo, shutting out the potent Panther attack en route to a 3-0 Tufts victory on Saturday afternoon at Kraft Field.
"I had been telling everybody else, but I finally sat down with Annie last week and told her how good she is," Coach Martha Whiting said. "She's playing great right now, and the more she plays, the more confidence she gets. Soon she'll be unstoppable."
Ross disrupted the Panther offense by attacking balls outside the 18, and staying low to avoid opportunities off the rebound. Playing on Saturday's muddy, wet field, staying down on the ball in goal was crucial, and Ross did so flawlessly.
"It felt great today," she said. "The defense was very good, they shifted well and moved as a unit, really executing what we've been working on in practice. They made my job easy."
The Panthers had opportunities on corner and direct kicks all day long, but Ross' aggressive play in goal kept the shutout in tact. Middlebury also had two golden opportunities with under five minutes left. Ross challenged both breakaways and cut off the angle to the goal, however, causing both shots to sail wide left.
One unique advantage that Ross possesses over other goalies stems from the fact that the Newton, Mass. native also doubles as the starting center fielder for the Jumbo softball team. Her softball experience helps her to get good reads on high, lofted shots towards the goal, allowing her to catch balls rather than having to scramble to deflect them away and risk dangerous rebounds.
"While there are differences between the ball coming off the bat and off a foot, there's also definitely a little bit of an advantage," she said. "I'd like to think that if there was a ball over my head I'd know what to do with it, but hopefully it won't come to the situation."
- Aman Gupta
