While one goal would have been enough, the field hockey team continued its season-long offensive outpouring over the weekend.
In their 6-0 shutout romp over the Conn. College Camels on Bello Field Saturday, the nationally-ranked No. 12 Jumbos showed that their most powerful offensive weapon might be their depth. The win marked the second shutout of the season as the Jumbos continued their dominance at 3-0 in the NESCAC and 5-0 overall.
The second half showcased the talent of the Jumbos' secondary, with skillful playmaking by sophomore forwards Melissa Burke and Tess Guttadauro. Guttadauro scored her first goal of the season off a penalty corner by sophomore Jess Perkins. Burke also connected on her first two goals of the season, notching the sixth and final goal of the game on a feed from sophomore Tamara Brown.
The squad's secondary proved that penalty-corner playmaking and intricate passing patterns are not skills reserved for just the starting lineup.
"We all feel comfortable about putting someone in off the bench right away and knowing that they will step up," Burke said.
"Melissa Burke came out early this week to work on some of her shooting and it's paid off," coach Tina McDavitt said.
Despite the final score, the Jumbos struggled throughout the game to convert most of their penalty-corner shot opportunities into goals. Though it had nine corners in the first and 18 overall, Tufts converted just two, putting up one goal in each half.
At halftime, the Jumbos adjusted and spread the field to better their chances of regaining possession after the Camel defense quickly cleared the ball from the circle.
"We played too close together," senior-tri-captain Marlee Kutcher said. "Say a shot was saved, there was no one there to rebound. Once we picked up on that we did a better job. We needed to capitalize on more opportunities."
Offensively, Tufts looked disjointed at the beginning. The team outpaced its opponent, keeping Conn. College in its midfield and backfield for the majority of the first half, but was unable to follow through on most of its 22 first-half shots. The Camels' goalie, sophomore Robin Edwards, played the entire game, recording 11 saves.
"We slowed ourselves down," McDavitt said. "We had 22 shots in the first half and didn't capitalize. I think we have things to work on. People didn't have their sticks down; balls that in the circle should've been deflected in for goals — they weren't. Their goalie played really well, but I think we should've had more goals in the first half."
In the end, the Jumbos looked to offensive powerhouse Brown in the first half to put Tufts in the lead at 19:54 remaining with an assist by Perkins. A penalty-corner conversion by junior Amanda Russo from a pass by Guttadauro made it 2-0. Brown's second goal of the game came with 1:25 left to play, bringing the forward's goal total to 10 on the season.
On the defensive side, the Jumbos double-teamed Conn. College players and took the pressure off of freshman starting goalie Marianna Zak, who was later succeeded by sophomore Katie Hyder in the second half. The strong defensive effort paid off, as the Camels had only two shots in the first half and six shots overall; Zak and Hyder recorded one save each.
"We did a lot of partner passing throughout the field," senior-tri-captain Brittany Holiday said. "In practice we worked on once they passed the ball that two players step up to defend them."
Next on the agenda for Tufts is a NESCAC showdown against an 0-3 Bates team Saturday on Bello Field. As the season heats up and the Jumbos continue their reign as co-leader of the NESCAC alongside Bowdoin (3-0 NESCAC, 6-0 overall), they seem to have kept their successes and challenges in perspective.
"We need to work on our defense," McDavitt said. "We need to capitalize on our opportunities, because in other games we may not have the opportunity to have 21 shots in the first half and if we have four, we have to be able to score on at least one or two of those. It's a matter of higher percentage shots and a better job getting in on them."
"The next game is the biggest game and every NESCAC game is good," Russo said. "It doesn't matter what their ranking is — they're the team to beat."
