The field hockey team is closing in on its best-ever NESCAC finish.
The Jumbos, playing in their first game since moving up to No. 17 in the Div. III rankings, earned a 2-0 road win over conference foe Wesleyan yesterday and moved into sole possession of second place in the NESCAC.
Senior co-captain Ileana Casellas-Katz scored her team-leading 12th goal of the season, junior Tess Jasinski gave the Jumbos a cushion, and the defense held strong against a late-game Wesleyan push.
Tufts went ahead just 8:07 into the game, when sophomore Amanda Russo tipped the ball in the circle to Casellas-Katz, who found the back of the net for her fifth game-winnerof the season. Jasinski notched her second tally of the year off a penalty corner to give the Jumbos some breathing room.
Freshman Katie Hyder, fresh off an eight-save performance against Trinity, made six saves for her second straight shutout.
With the victory, Tufts earned its second straight NESCAC win and improved its conference mark to 5-2. That mark puts them even with Middlebury, tied for seventh nationally, but the Jumbos hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Panthers thanks to a 3-1 win at Bello Field Sept. 15.
This weekend, Tufts will travel to Williams for a critical conference clash against the Ephs, who come into the game 4-3 in NESCAC play. A win over the Ephs puts the Jumbos a game away from a second-place league finish.
See tomorrow's Daily for further coverage.
-by Sapna Bansil
