Apparently the women's soccer team is getting set to start a new shutout streak.
The nationally-ranked No. 19 Jumbos picked up a narrow 1-0 victory over non-conference foe Brandeis Tuesday night in Waltham, Mass. After opening the season with five consecutive shutouts, Tufts finally allowed a goal for the first time Saturday when the team also suffered its first loss of the season, a 3-1 upset at the hands of Amherst. Tuesday's game was the Jumbos' sixth shutout in seven games.
The lone tally of the contest didn't come until the 86th minute, when junior forward Ali Maxwell broke a scoreless stalemate and found the back of the net on a blast from 20 yards out.
"I was just on the wing and [freshman forward] Jamie Love-Nichols drew her defender in, fed me a beautiful pass, and I was in the clear," Maxwell said. "I don't really know how it happened, but somehow like from a movie, I was in this opening. I just let a shot go. I didn't really aim, but it somehow got past the goalie."
Each squad had scoring opportunities in the first half, but strong play from junior goalkeepers Hillary Rosenzweig of Brandeis and Kate Minnehan of Tufts kept each team at bay. The Jumbos had their opportunities early, registering four shots on goal in the first seven minutes of the game, but Rosenzweig held her ground.
From there, Tufts went cold, as Brandeis controlled play for the remainder of the first half, firing a total of six shots in the period. Minnehan made a nice stop on Brandeis' best attempt, a shot by junior quad-captain Melissa Gorenkoff in the 32nd minute, to keep the score knotted at zero.
The Jumbos, meanwhile, managed only one shot attempt over the final 38 minutes of the first half.
"We didn't put as much pressure on the ball in the first half," Maxwell said. "We also didn't move away from the ball well, either."
Both squads picked up the pace in the second half, but neither could get on the board. Tufts junior tri-captain Cara Cadigan started the period by smashing a pair of shots at Rosenzweig. A key point came in the 67th minute, when Minnehan made a big save on a hard low shot.
"I was kind of off my angle, and then I saw her kick it," Minnehan said. "I got a late break on the ball but luckily I dove to the left and was able to deflect the ball. Thankfully [freshman] Lauren O'Connor was there to clear the ball from harm's way."
In the waning minutes of the game, however, Maxwell finally broke the scoreless tie, taking a feed from Love-Nichols outside the box and blasting the ball to the far side, just out of Rosenzweig's reach.
The tally was Maxwell's third goal of the season, tying her for the team lead.
"I don't really know why I've been scoring lately," she said. "It just sort of comes and goes. I do owe a lot of credit to my teammates though. They have been getting me the ball when I have been in good positions, and I've just been able to capitalize."
Minnehan and the Jumbo defense made Maxwell's tally stand over the final three minutes of the contest.
"We did a really good job of controlling the ball in the last few minutes of the game," Minnehan said. "They didn't even come close to putting any serious pressure on me. I think that the main difference between this year's team and last: our defense. We have learned to play together defensively, and the results show that."
The midweek win improved the Jumbos' record to 6-1, a mark the team will take with it when it heads to Vermont on Saturday for a critical conference matchup against Middlebury.
"This is definitely a big challenge for us," Maxwell said. "Driving all that way to play a team that has the reputation for being a tough and physical bunch, we have to bring our 'A' game. Hopefully we can get an early goal and help out the back end which has been great all year."
The Panthers are currently just one game behind Tufts in the conference standings, making this weekend's game all the more important. Aside from the playoff implications, Middlebury will also be looking for revenge after a disappointing loss last season, when a late Tufts goal and an overtime winner sealed the Panthers' fate.
