For all the returning talent on the field hockey team, it was the younger half of the roster that led the Jumbos to a 4-1 opening-day victory over Colby at home on Saturday.
The first two collegiate goals from sophomore Marlee Kutcher bookended four unanswered tallies, as the Jumbos rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to clinch their first win of the season. Sophomore forward Brittany Holiday also contributed a goal, and freshman Michelle Kelly wasted no time in inscribing her name in the collegiate record books, notching one for the Jumbos as well.
Of the six players involved in the team's four goals, only one-junior Ileana Katz, whose drive up-field prompted Holiday's shot and the third Tufts goal-had more than one season under her belt. In addition to the goals from Kutcher, Holiday and Kelly, freshman Emma Kozumbo and sophomore Tess Jasinski both notched assists.
"We have a pretty small team this year, and so we needed the younger players to fill those spots," Kutcher said. "[Coach Tina McDavitt] has been working hard with recruiting, and that's evidence of how she's changing the Tufts program. She's bringing people in who are ready to step up, which is important when you only have 18 players. Everyone has to be ready to play."
The first five minutes of the game were all Colby. The Mules hounded the Jumbo defense and kept the ball solidly on Tufts turf, and were rewarded quickly, when sophomore forward Mary Clare Snediker snuck one past the Tufts goalie, senior co-captain Marilyn Duffy-Cabana, to hand the Mules an early 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the game.
"I think Colby came out very strong, aggressive and ready to play, and we were caught on our heels," Katz said. "[The goal] was definitely a heads-up that we needed to step it up or we weren't going to stay in the game for very long."
The Jumbos did just that, cranking up an offense for which the Mules had no answer. On a penalty corner eight minutes later, Kutcher sent out the hit from the end line, then found a spot in front of the cage and sent a Kozumbo shot past Colby junior goalkeeper Jamie Enos to even the score at one.
"We needed someone to get the ball and get downfield, and Marlee did that for us, and that turned things around quickly," McDavitt said. "She probably has the most consistent hit on the team right now, so we put her up on corners to see how she does."
The goal energized the slow-starting Jumbos, who took the lead with six minutes remaining in the half. Kelly notched her first career goal, returning a rebound off Enos' pads to give the Jumbos the lead heading into intermission.
The team's first two goals both came off penalty corners, which are often considered the best chance to score because of the favorable offense-to-defense ratio, the offensive control in setting up the play, and the chance for rebound shots.
"Our corner plays our very similar to last year, but I think the big difference is our consistency," Katz said. "We've been working hard at making the push out perfect, and our stick stop dead every time, and having strong quick hits, which I think has made a big difference. We did a lot of direct shots because [senior co-captain] Stacey [Watkins] and Tess, our two strikers, have been working really hard and the defense didn't seem to be getting out soon enough."
McDavitt has made corners a key part of her game plan, and the Jumbos followed through, converting two of their 13 chances, and racking up several back-to-back corners.
"I don't care if a corner gets messed up; I've put an emphasis on finishing them," McDavitt said. "If the ball comes out bouncy or to the wrong girl or if the defense is there, you get around them, get it to another girl. We've been playing it out in practice, and that's what we saw today-broken corners that we were able to finish on."
Aside from a few carryovers at key spots, the team's lineup was nearly unrecognizable from the last eleven Jumbos to take the field at Bello. The graduation of senior co-captains Lea Napolitano and Jeanne Grabowski last May opened the midfield for Jasinski, who dropped back from a spot on the front line last season, and junior Katie Pagos, who moved up from the backfield.
"[Jasinski and Pagos] were both really solid out there," McDavitt said. "Tess came back really fit because she plays a lot in the summer, and she's got great fundamentals. And the way Katie played at right back last year-so aggressive and so offensive-minded-we thought it might be a good idea to move her up to midfield and see what she can do."
Saturday also saw the return of senior Kathleen Martin and junior Meghan Becque, both of whom sat out most of the 2005 season with injuries. Martin started on the front line and Becque at right back, their sticks and skills bolstering the Jumbo roster. The 2006 team has a lot of new faces, and the loss of last year's midfield keystone duo has shaken up the lineup and opened the door for a more flexible on-field dynamic.
"It was awesome, just having that experience out there-you can't teach experience," McDavitt said. "Kathleen started her freshman and sophomore year and then came out and started today, she's still hurting a little bit but you can't even tell. And Meghan played really solid defense today; she's a very calm player, and that shows in every aspect of her game."
"Tina definitely coaches us on specific situations, but more importantly, she wants us to play based on what's happening on the field," Kutcher said. "She's always emphasizing that we play it out when things aren't going to go exactly as planned. [The goals] were just a product of our corner team and the way we practice."
