While a 4-1 loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC Semifinals on Sunday ultimately ended the Jumbos' season, the curtain did not officially fall until early Monday morning when the NCAA selection committee passed over the Jumbos for an at-large bid to the tournament.
And while they fell short of an NCAA bid many felt they deserved, the 2006 Jumbos finished the season with the highest win total since 1998, breakout performances from some younger players, and one step closer to bringing Tufts field hockey into the national spotlight.
"We obviously left with something of a bitter taste in our mouths, but the season really was an overall success, and we brought the program to a new level," senior co-captain Marilyn Duffy-Cabana said. "And beyond the record, team-wise, it was just a great place to be everyday."
Despite the frustration at coming up short in a top-heavy NESCAC field hockey arena, the 2006 season was the best in since the mid-nineties when Tufts consistently provided winning records and postseason appearances. The team's 11 wins were the most since 1998 and the most in third-year coach Tina McDavitt's tenure. The team's 35 goals were the most since the 1996 squad - the team that won a school-record 13 games and went to the ECAC Championship game.
After a three-year stretch in which a combined 12-30 record saw Tufts field hockey fall from regional and national prominence, McDavitt has led the Jumbos to three winning seasons and three straight NESCAC Tournament berths, including its first two semifinal appearances. The arrival of the turf surface at Bello Field coincided with McDavitt's arrival, and together the two factors have changed the face of Tufts field hockey.
"I remember when I first got here, I was trying to get them to transfer the ball, and they were nervous about it because they were a grass team and hadn't historically done that," McDavitt said. "And now we're really good at it. As a younger coach, it's good to see that what I'm teaching them is working."
"Tina knows the game so well and understands each detail about it, and she's able to take our natural skill to next level," said senior co-captain Stacey Watkins, who was named to the First Team All-NESCAC yesterday. "When I entered as a freshman, we weren't even a middle-tier team, and now we've gotten to the top four in NESCAC. We're bringing the program up to the next level, and once we get that taste of winning, everyone has the motivation to keep it going."
With the benefit of hindsight, two early-season losses to Wellesley and Middlebury loom large. Because they were followed by five straight wins, the longest streak since 2000, the losses may have been easy to bury under the team's gathering momentum and growing chemistry. But they comprised nearly half of the Jumbos' five losses, likely one too many for the NCAA selection committee, and precluded any shot at a national title run for the resurgent squad.
"This year what really killed us, and Tina kept saying it as far as at-large bids, was if we'd just had one less loss," sophomore Tess Jasinski said. "If we'd beaten Wellesley or Middlebury, or started the season like we ended it, we probably would have gotten the bid. We have a young team, and if we can start off strong next year and get ranked early, we won't get into the position we were in this year."
With the "if-only" sting subsiding, two resounding wins stand out from the 2006 season. A win under the lights under over nationally ranked Div. II Bentley and a 2-0 shutout of NESCAC rival Williams on Oct. 21 showcased the kind of smart, fast-paced and resilient hockey that characterized the Jumbos at their best.
The 2006 season saw several Jumbos inscribe their names in the Tufts record books. Freshman Michelle Kelly was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year yesterday (see accompanying box) for her 11 goals, the most by a Tufts freshman since 1998 and fourth on the all-time single-season list. Junior forward Ileana Casellas-Katz, a Second Team All-NESCAC selection, added nine assists (fourth in Tufts history for a single season) and three goals to move up the career points list to 15th with still another season to go.
"Our technical skills have gotten a lot better since I've been here," senior forward Kathleen Martin said. "Tina's very good at focusing on little things. She doesn't ask us to do huge complicated plays but stresses our passing from player to player all the way up the field. She's changed the way we play."
The 2006 season was the finale for the team's four seniors - Watkins, Duffy-Cabana, Martin and goalkeeper Angela Rappoli. Several young forwards will return - Kelly, Casellas-Katz, as well as freshmen Amanda Russo and Brianna Sullivan - but filling the holes in goal and center back will require some reshuffling.
"The younger players have that playing time under their belts," Duffy-Cabana said. "Tina's been very active in getting top recruits that are not only great players but that mesh well with the team and fit in with program that she's running. I'm not worried."
"This season has been by far my favorite, not only because we were so successful, but because we had 19 girls so completely focused, so into it, and it was just so much fun," McDavitt said.
And according to the team, much of that energy starts at the top. The program's turnaround since 2004 is telling, and McDavitt's technical skill and continuing involvement with the sport are building a top-tier team.
"She's young, and she's so excited about the program," Martin said of the third-year coach. "She has a lot of confidence in us and respect for us, and having a coach that thinks you're that good makes you believe it, too. This year, people really believed that we were that good, and it's a great starting point for future seasons."
