ALEX LACH, MEN'S SOCCER
When the men's soccer team was in desperate need of a win, a rookie was there to deliver.
Freshman forward Alex Lach tallied his first multi-goal game of his career at just the right time for the Jumbos, sparking a 3-0 upset win over Trinity on Saturday that put Tufts in control of its own destiny in the NESCAC playoff picture.
Lach put the Jumbos ahead 1-0 with the first half winding down, sending a cross from senior Kevin Anglin into the back of the net. The goal, Tufts' first score in its last 148 minutes of soccer, gave the Jumbos a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
After junior Peter DeGregorio put Tufts ahead by two in the 69th minute, Lach added an insurance tally in the game's closing minutes to account for the final three-goal margin.
Lach's effort moved him into second place on the team's scoring list for 2007, behind senior tri-captain Greg O'Connell, who has four goals this season. Lach is the leading scorer of a strong freshman class that has given coach Ralph Ferrigno's squad some much-needed depth. Joining the Lexington, Mass. native are classmates Naji Muakkassa, who has notched two assists in his rookie campaign, and Sam Estridge, who has started the past two games on the defensive end.
KATIE HYDER, FIELD HOCKEY
Freshman goalie Katie Hyder has had a lot resting on her heavily padded shoulders. The field hockey team had lost a standout netminder to graduation last year, and with Hyder as the only freshman goalie, was putting a lot of its defensive eggs in the Winston-Salem, N.C. native's basket.
Hyder chose a good time for her best week of the season. Her past three games in goal have shown a more aggressive, decisive presence, and have helped the Jumbos to two wins and kept them close in 2-1 loss to nationally top-ranked Bowdoin.
Two plays stand out from this week's repertoire. Both came with the Jumbos up 1-0 and in both situations, key saves from Hyder kept the Jumbos on top. A sprawling stick save stopped a potentially game-tying penalty stroke on Wednesday and a charging Hyder thwarted a Trinity breakaway on Saturday to keep Tufts on top. Her eight saves in a 2-0 win over Trinity on Saturday were her season high.
She has 35 saves on the season, with 17 of them coming in the past three games, during which she brought her goals allowed average back under 1.00 and posted a .850 save percentage, compared to a .720 clip through her first seven games.
