There's more than just the political fates of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain on the line this Election Day. The field hockey team also finds itself on a ballot, as the National Field Hockey Coaches Association will release its weekly national poll in which the Jumbos are expected to contend for the top spot.
With its monumental 4-3 victory over No. 1 Bowdoin Friday night, fourth-ranked Tufts made its best case to date that it belongs atop the rankings. The Jumbos tallied four goals off a defending national champion Polar Bears squad that had allowed five all season en route to Tufts' first win over Bowdoin since 1998. With the victory, 15-0 Tufts also clinched the regular season NESCAC title, a particularly noteworthy distinction this season given that four conference teams are ranked in the top eight of the Oct. 28 NFHCA poll.
The win marked the third time in its banner 2008 campaign that Tufts had taken down a top 10 team on the road in a one-goal game. In each of the previous two instances, the Jumbos received a boost in the NFHCA rankings. After toppling then-No. 3 Middlebury on Oct. 11, Tufts moved up from seventh to fifth in the poll and following its victory over then-No. 9 Trinity on Oct. 25, the team climbed to fourth.
But despite racking up a plethora of quality wins and maintaining the only undefeated record across all three divisions of collegiate field hockey, Tufts has yet to come close to receiving the top spot in the NFHCA poll. Although it did receive as many first-place votes (eight) as No. 1 Bowdoin in last week's rankings, the team has still only climbed as high as the No. 4 slot in the polls, behind, among others, a third-ranked Ursinus team with two losses.
"We thought that after Trinity, we might be moved up a little higher," senior tri-captain Marlee Kutcher said. "I was happy with fourth because it was as though [the NFHCA] was waiting for us to prove ourselves [Friday,] and we did, so hopefully [today], it shows."
