The men's soccer team lost a heartbreaker last night, falling to defending NESCAC champs Wesleyan, 2-1. Playing under the lights at Bello Field, the Jumbos had a difficult time jump-starting their offense, forcing only a single save out of Wesleyan junior keeper Matt Gnall.
Both teams struggled in the first half. Although both squads had a couple opportunities-though Wesleyan's seven shots trumped the Jumbos' one-neither was able to capitalize, and the first half ended with goose-eggs across the board.
The Jumbos were able to penetrate the Wesleyan front early in the second half, scoring 25 seconds into the half when junior midfielder Alex Botwinick fed senior Mattia Chason for the goal. Wesleyan countered with a goal at the 56-minute mark, and the game was back even.
With the clock winding down, Tufts struggled keeping the ball on Wesleyan half, and the game entered the final 10 minutes in a 1-1 tie. The Cardinals were pulled ahead with nine minutes left to play when junior Sam Griswold broke the Tufts defense and assisted sophomore Matt Nevin's go-ahead goal. The Jumbos were unable to answer and fell to 0-3-1 on the season.
With a team-high 19 kills and four blocks, sophomore Katie Wysham led the volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over Gordon College at Cousens Gym last night. Wysham took over in the second game and propelled Tufts to the win and a 5-3 overall record. Both Wysham and coach Cora Thompson noted the team's "dynamic" and team-oriented offense, citing smooth and accurate passing.
Sophomores Kate Denniston and Stacy Filocco put up big numbers in the relatively short three-game match. Denniston had five kills to go along with her two blocks, while Filocco posted 12 kills and six digs. The coaches were able to mix up the lineup, and get different players valuable experience at different positions, as the team won in straight games, 30-23, 30-17, and 30-26.
Also in late action, the field hockey team stole a 3-2 win over non-conference Babson last night. The Jumbos got bookend goals from senior co-captain Stacey Watkins to recover from a first-half 1-0 deficit. Sophomore forward Tess Jasinski had a big game as well, scoring the first go-ahead goal and feeding Watkins in the final minutes for the game-winner, a chip that vaulted over . The win pushed the Jumbos' record even at 2-2 and they'll look for the go-ahead on Saturday at NESCAC rival Amherst.
See Thursday's Daily for full coverage.
-by Lauren Ebstein, Jon Glickhouse, and Liz Hoffman
