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If Tufts' season opener against Middlebury was any indication, the Jumbos may be poised to lead the NESCAC — and the nation — this season.
In the 3-1 trampling of the nationally ranked No. 7 Middlebury Panthers, the second-ranked Jumbos showcased a range of offensive talent that translated to the scoreboard. While having the reputation of being one of the NESCAC's strongest teams, the Panthers were plagued by some injuries that immediately hindered them against the Tufts squad.
"Middlebury had some issues with starters and injuries which put us at an advantage at the onset," coach Tina McDavitt said. "I think position for position, we are stronger across the field, and that showed today with three different players scoring goals."
Halfway through the first frame, junior forward Tamara Brown notched the first goal of the game, tapping it in off a penalty corner from junior midfielder Tess Guttadauro with assistance from junior midfielder Jess Perkins to get play into the circle. Any concerns the Jumbos had during the preseason over integrating players into new positions were swept aside, as the cohesiveness of the team was apparent from the get-go.
"Our players did a great job playing together; we had new starters and starters in new positions, and they did a great job making it work on the field," senior co-captain Amanda Russo said. "Halfbacks [Guttadauro] and [Perkins] both did a great job on opposite sides of the field."
Fewer than 10 minutes into the second half, the Panthers knotted the game at one on a free hit, a temporary setback for a Tufts squad that generally controlled the pace of the game and outshot Middlebury 17-6 overall. The combination of an AstroTurf surface, which lends itself to faster play than traditional turf fields, and the new self-start rule in field hockey may have contributed to a slightly longer learning curve in the Jumbos' inaugural conference match. The self-start rule, which allows a player to hit the ball to herself as long as it travels five yards ahead of her, has virtually transformed the way in which the game is played for the Tufts squad.
"The self-start rule makes everyone stay on their toes," McDavitt said. "It's more run-and-gun hockey and a lot less stopping. We have less time to set up formations, and it's making us learn how to transition faster to keep up with the pace of the game."
"[The self-start rule] makes the game much faster, and everyone needs to be a lot fitter for the style of play we need to adjust to," Brown added. "It's already changed the game a lot, and it has affected the way we practice and our game plans … We need to practice cutting off self-starts; otherwise, we are looking at break-away opportunities that could hurt us."
Breaking the deadlock just minutes after Middlebury's scoring drive, Perkins countered with a conversion on a penalty corner that brought the Jumbos' lead to 2-1. Once again, Tufts' practice on penalty corners during the off-season returned immediate dividends.
"We learned from last year that we need to take better advantage of our penalty corners," Brown said. "We spent the preseason practicing those, as well as trying to limit the amount of penalty corners we give up to our opponents. Today, penalty corners played a huge role in our win, so it's something we're going to continue to work on."
Sophomore midfielder Lindsay Griffith secured a third goal with two minutes remaining in regulation, easing the tensions of the Jumbo sideline that experienced an overtime showdown with the Panthers last season due to a late-game goal, as well as a NESCAC semi-final overtime elimination at the hands of Middlebury in 2007.
"I think we outplayed them in the first half, but we didn't completely dominate, while in the second half we put them away and showed them we were here to win," Russo said.
With NESCAC action in full swing, the upsets have already begun mounting. While Tufts crossed sticks with Middlebury, the nationally ranked No. 1 Bowdoin Polar Bears were being shut out by NESCAC rival Amherst, their first loss since Halloween of last year against the Jumbos and their first loss on the road in almost three years. In what could be a power struggle in the making within the NESCAC, the Jumbos could potentially grab the No. 1 position in the country in the NFHCA Poll, set to be released on Tuesday.
Until then, however, the Tufts squad is trying to keep things in perspective, knowing full-well that the NFHCA rankings do not necessarily reflect the strength of the team. Last year, when the Jumbos were 11-0 on the season and the only undefeated team in the country, the NFHCA ranked them fifth in the nation, behind other teams with multiple losses.
"We don't try to assign much importance to the rankings," Russo said. "It's not an objective system and does not reflect our level of play so much as the biases of those in charge of the rankings. Don't get me wrong, being first in the country would be great, but it would be a mistake to base our morale or season goals on what a certain group of people think about our game. That's not going to bring us success — our contributions in individual games will."
On Tuesday, the Jumbos face non-conference opponent Babson in their home opener on Bello Field. The Jumbos have recorded five consecutive wins against the Beavers, dating back to 2004, and they welcome the opportunity to mix up their schedule with competition from outside of the NESCAC.
"Babson is one of the stronger non-conference teams we play, and it'll be fun to play them on Bello Field," Brown said. "It's another huge game, but we'll be ready."
