The women's soccer team has not lost a regular-season game on Kraft Field since October 2002, and Wednesday was no exception.
The Jumbos defeated non-conference Worcester State in a 1-0 double-overtime win, with junior Jessie Wagner breaking the tie with a shot from outside the box, the first of her career. The win lifted the Jumbos to 8-3-2 on the season and dropped the Lancers to 13-5-1.
Both teams squandered opportunities in the first half, making for a slow start to the game. The defense for both squads was at its prime, yielding a 0-0 tie going into halftime.
"The game was more or less even in the first half," senior tri-captain Annie Ross said. "They had a game [on Tuesday] that did not end until 7:00 p.m., so I think as time went along they became more fatigued, and we were able to take advantage of that."
Though not apparent on the scoreboard, the second half was an offensive showcase for the Jumbos, as they had numerous chances to pull ahead.
"We totally dominated them, especially in the second half," Ross said. "If we had tied this game, it would have felt like a loss."
Juniors Martha Furtek and Rebecca Abbott both had chances to hand their team the advantage, but Worcester State senior goalkeeper Kim Massa recorded key saves to keep the Lancers in the game. Furtek finished the day with 10 shots - two on goal - while the Jumbos had a total of seven shots on goal.
"We were trying to beat too many players and just rushing some of our shots," head coach Martha Whiting said. "You just have these kinds of days sometimes in soccer."
Tufts dominated the Lancers in every offensive category, beating them in corner kicks (13-1) and shots (28-4). Though the Jumbos' offense showed signs of life in the second half, they came up short of a game-winner in 100 minutes of play, and the game went into a second overtime period.
In the 102nd minute, Wagner received a pass and took a shot from about 35 feet out. The ball sailed right above Massa's hands for the winning goal.
"We had a tough time finishing [yesterday]," senior tri-captain Kim Harrington said. "Jessie really came up big for us, finishing this game. It was a beautiful upper-90 goal."
The win against Worcester State was the team's sixth shutout this season, partially a sign of a consistent defensive lineup. Ross finished the day with two saves, while her Worcester State counterpart Massa had six.
"Our defense came up big for us today," Harrington said. "They played solid and really kept the ball out of our half of the field."
The Jumbos will take it easy the rest of the week, as they have a huge NESCAC weekend ahead. On Saturday, the Jumbos will host Conn. College, who is still looking for its first NESCAC win. Meanwhile, a win would secure a second-place NESCAC finish for the Jumbos.
"This late in the season, there is not really anything we can do to improve," Whiting said. "We are going to rest up this week and work on our penalty kicks, and come ready to play Saturday."
While the Jumbos have secured home-field advantage in the first round of the NESCAC tournament on Sunday, their opening-round opponent is still a question mark that will not be determined until Wesleyan and Bowdoin square off on Saturday. The Jumbos have beaten both Wesleyan and Bowdoin this season by scores of 2-0 and 2-1, respectively, good signs for a Tufts team ready to face whoever comes to Kraft Field on Sunday.
