The Jumbos could not have asked for much more on Wednesday afternoon, as they opened the season with a convincing 18-6 victory over the Wellesley Blue at Bello Field.
With Wednesday's win, Tufts showed that it will be a force to be reckoned with once again this season. Tufts dominated Wellesley in every facet of the game and saw an astonishing nine players earn multiple points on the day. The team was led by sophomore attack Courtney Thomas with four goals and junior midfielder Alyssa Corbett with five assists.
The Jumbo offense got going quickly, opening up with a goal from freshman Jenna Abelli, followed by the first goal of the day for Courtney Thomas.
Tufts held a 4-1 lead at the 14-minute mark, but Wellesley battled back, as freshman Haley Geller's second goal of the day, followed by another score from senior attack Casey Logan, pulled Wellesley within a goal.
Tufts returned with four-straight scores, building up an 8-3 lead by halftime. Abelli and junior attack Bretlyn Curtis, who came off the bench, each added their second goal of the day, while senior co-captain Lauren Murphy also had two points in the half. Corbett sparked the offense with three of her assists coming in the first 30 minutes.
The Jumbos' attack was relentless, pressuring Wellesley's sophomore goalie Kristin Jaronczyk with 22 shots in each half, compared with the Blue's 11 total shots.
Junior Sarah Williams and sophomore Chrissie Attura led the Tufts attack in the second half as the Jumbos scored five straight goals to open up a 10-point lead just eight minutes into the frame.
Such padding allowed Coach Rappoli to let some of the rookies to get their feet wet. The dynamic duo of Johnson and Abelli on the front line combined for three goals and 11 total shots.
The Jumbos can only hope that their solid performance Wednesday will propel them on an early run much like last year when the team rattled off six-straight wins to start the season.
The team will kick off its NESCAC schedule Saturday with a match-up with the nation's No. 6-ranked Williams Ephs.
-by Ethan Landy
