Thanks to a Williams upset effort this past weekend, the second-seeded Tufts field hockey team will play against the fifth-seeded Ephs on Saturday in the NESCAC Tournament semifinals, hosted by top-seeded Trinity. But the Jumbos hope to avoid being the second straight powerhouse victim for Williams as they look to earn a berth in Sunday's final.
The Jumbos' tournament game will be a rematch of their 3-0 win over the Ephs just two weekends ago. But, with Williams upsetting Middlebury in the quarterfinals — a team that had beaten the Ephs 7-1 two nights before — it doesn't seem as if Tufts will face the same team they dominated on Oct. 24 with a 26-1 shot count and an 18-0 margin in corner opportunities.
"It's good that we played Williams recently and [that] their style of play is fresh in our minds," sophomore defender Taylor Dyer said. "We have been working on defending against their big-ball offense, and our style of play and passing game works well against their defensive formation. We're confident but in no way taking them lightly. We had a great game against them last time and we just want to do that again."
Tufts will be looking to control the pace of the game as well as it has so far this season. The Jumbos haven't been scored on since their Oct. 17 overtime loss to Trinity and thus far have outshot their opponents 439-90 on the year, recording 63 goals compared to a combined seven by the opposition.
"It's like there's a force field around me," said sophomore goalkeeper Marianna Zak, who has only allowed two goals since a Sept. 26 matchup versus Wesleyan. "Our defense does such a good job eliminating shooting opportunities it makes my job that much easier."
Throughout the season, and especially in the quarterfinals this past Sunday, Tufts has sustained offensive pressure while quickly stifling advances by other teams. This consistency in possession will be key in the playoffs, when any mistake could put the future of the season in serious jeopardy.
"Our defensive success all starts with our forwards," Dyer said. "They do an amazing job of keeping possession as well as being the first line of pressure when we don't have the ball."
Additionally, the Jumbos must capitalize on their persistent attacks. On Sunday, Tufts made only two of its 35 shots count, a number the team wants to see increase this weekend.
"Every time we play a NESCAC game, they are out to beat us," junior forward Melissa Burke said. "We are just focusing on playing our game and coming out strong right from the get-go. Later this week, we are really going to focus on having the forwards practice tipping the ball to change the angle and move the goalie so we don't run into the problems we had on Sunday with shooting right into the pads."
The Jumbos are also looking to prevent any miscues in the backfield this weekend.
"We are working on a lot of defensive communication this week and looking at any offensive pressure from the other team as an opportunity to regain possession and transition into a scoring position," Dyer said. "We go into every defensive corner saying, ‘This is going to turn into a fast break,' instead of looking at it as a man-down situation."
A Tufts victory would provide the Jumbos with a Sunday matchup against either the team that handed them their first regular season loss in two years, the 14-1 Bantams, or the team that took both the NESCAC and NCAA title from them last season, the 10-5 Bowdoin Polar Bears.
"Bowdoin and Trinity are both really strong teams with a lot of playoff experience," Dyer said. "I don't know who will win. Bowdoin hasn't been as successful this year as they have in the past, but they know how to win when it counts, and Trinity has been on a roll all year so it will be interesting who comes out with the win."
"I think it's going to be a very close game between Trinity and Bowdoin," Burke added. "I think it will be hard-fought by both teams, and Bowdoin will be out for revenge against Trinity since the loss in the regular season."
Either way, in the event of a win over Williams, the Jumbos will have a chance to avenge one of two huge losses, not to mention capture the program's first NESCAC title and a guaranteed bid into the NCAA Tournament.
"This week, we're all focusing on staying healthy and getting a lot of sleep so we're not tired for back-to-back games this weekend," Zak said. "Everything's there. We just have to be on our game."
