With 2:04 left in regulation, Trinity sophomore Christine Mwaturura's shot through the legs of Tufts senior co-captain goalkeeper Marilyn Duffy-Cabana broke a tie to lift the Bantams to a 2-1 victory over the Jumbos.
The loss was a tough one for the Jumbos, who shared possession of fourth place in the NESCAC with the Bantams before Saturday's decision at Robin L. Sheppard Field. With a 3-3 league record (6-4 overall), Tufts now sits in fifth place, tied with Wesleyan and behind Trinity, who moved to 4-2 in the league and 7-3 overall.
The Jumbos had hoped to get back on track after a deflating 2-1 loss to Bowdoin last Saturday. That loss ended a five-game winning streak, the program's longest in eight years. This Saturday, the Tufts squad was looking to get back on the right track, but the Jumbos were instead dealt another 2-1 loss.
"I think it's a wake-up call," junior Katie Pagos said. "I don't think complacent describes how we were acting in these two games. We realize that winning five in a row is awesome, but we know we have to focus on these next games, which are pivotal in the NESCAC."
Trinity struck first in Saturday's game, as junior forward Marisa Shutte, the Bantams' leading scorer, connected for a goal on a pass from senior co-captain Erin Daly with 13:38 left in the first half. The Bantams held the lead for the next 29 minutes until Tufts senior co-captain Stacey Watkins got a shot by Trinity freshman goalkeeper Jillian Fraker. Fraker and Duffy-Cabana each made three saves on the afternoon.
"[Watkins] was just really aggressive and did a backwards flick into the right top corner of the cage," sophomore Brittany Holiday said. "That reenergized us a lot, and it was really exciting, because we were all trying to get it in and then Stacey did."
Tufts and Trinity remained tied until Mwaturura scored at the 2:04 mark, assisted by freshman midfielder Carolyn Wolcott.
The 2-1 loss marks the seventh one-goal decision in Tufts' 10 games this season and the third of which the Jumbos of found themselves on the wrong end. Tufts secured a pair of consecutive one-point victories over Babson and Amherst earlier this season that were sealed with late-game heroics similar to Trinity's on Saturday.
"It's mentally somewhat difficult," Pagos said of the narrow margin of defeat. "It's really hard to be down and trying to get back up and then be scored on again. Technically, skill-wise, we were an even match, but I think that [goal] really lowered our spirits to some extent."
The Jumbos will face another crucial NESCAC game on Tuesday afternoon at Bello Field, taking on Wesleyan. The game is their second straight facing their partner in the NESCAC standings; at 3-3 against league opponents, the Cardinals are tied for fifth with Tufts.
The Cardinals, whose 3-2 win over Bates improved their overall record to 6-5, are over .500 for the first time since mid-September, and looking to continue their recent success.
Like the Jumbos, the Cardinals are tested in late-game tension; excluding a 4-0 opening-day blowout loss to NESCAC top dog Williams, each of the Cardinals' losses has been by a single goal, as have three of their wins.
The contest will carry additional significance for the team, which has faced the Cardinals the past two years in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament. The Jumbos got a 2-0 win in 2004 but were knocked out of the postseason by Wesleyan last year, losing 1-0 on the road. Tufts will be looking for redemption as the teams meet for the first time in 2006.
"[Wesleyan] has been typically equal to us in the past, and they ended our season last year, so it's kind of a emotional necessity as well," Pagos said. "It's sentimental, and also for our standings in the NESCAC, it's important."
