When sophomore Corey Green went down with an ACL injury during the team's season opener, a young Tufts forward line took an early hit. Coach Tina McDavitt looked to her bench for a replacement, and found freshman Brittany Holiday.
Since stepping in at the vacant left wing position, Holiday has contributed her stick skills and speed down the line to the Tufts offense. She added a pair of goals, the first of her collegiate career, during the team's 5-3 victory over Gordon on Tuesday.
"Everybody misses Corey," said Holiday, who found the net once each half to pace the Jumbo offense. "She's an awesome player, but it was good to be able to help the team in any way possible. I've been working as hard as I can. Regardless of whether you're starting, you need to improve."
The Jumbos did not let the overcast conditions affect their intensity on the field. With three goals in the first 13 minutes of play, Tufts was well on its way to a second victory of the year and an even 2-2 record. Holiday's first-half goal was matched by two from sophomore forward Ileana Katz and a well placed penalty stroke from senior Erika Goodwin, propelling Tufts to a 4-1 halftime lead.
"Against Middlebury, we had a lot of energy," senior co-captain Lea Napolitano said. "We focused on bringing energy into the Middlebury game and this one."
The early scoring run was a welcomed change from the team's 2-0 loss to Middlebury on Saturday. In that game, the Jumbos managed only three first-half shots in a tightly-matched contest. Despite the loss, Tufts proved it could hang with the top-ranked Panthers, and was able to fine-tune some crucial elements.
"We played a great game [against Gordon]," McDavitt said. "After we played Middlebury, we saw how good we really were. We talked about controlling the game and about playing our game and focusing in on fundamentals."
The trio of quick scores had the Fighting Scots playing catch-up from the opening whistle. Senior co-captain Megan Benevides sunk a goal with 16:09 to play in the first half, bringing Gordon within two, but Katz answered with another goal just two and a half minutes later, sending the Jumbos into halftime with a three-goal cushion.
Holiday scored her second goal of the day less than three minutes into the second half on an assist from Katz, opening the Tufts lead to four.
The Jumbos dropped off slightly, however, after the fifth and final goal, allowing two unanswered goals as Gordon once again narrowed the lead to two. Junior forward Whitney Plaster snuck the ball by Tufts junior goalkeeper Angela Rappoli, finding the back of the net twice in just six minutes to crank up the intensity and force Tufts to defend its lead.
The Jumbos answered with a resounding defensive effort in the remaining 15 minutes. Junior Marilyn Duffy-Cabana returned to the cage for the Jumbos, and the Tufts backfield held strong in front of her, handing Gordon its fourth loss of the season.
"The game was a collective effort," Holiday said. "Everyone worked really hard."
The team now looks to host conference rival Amherst on Saturday afternoon. The Lord Jeffs nabbed a 2-1 overtime win at Amherst last season. A win on Saturday would put the Jumbos over .500 in both conference and regular season play.
