After last season's 18−2 record, NCAA semifinal appearance and first−ever NESCAC title, the field hockey team enters this season with a target the size of the entire nation on its back, and it could not be more ready to handle the pressure.
With a No. 4 ranking in the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) preseason poll, it seems the country has finally recognized the Jumbos' place near the top of Div. III field hockey. Fortunately, with almost all of the players who last season attained All−NESCAC recognition returning to the field this year — 2009 All−American Margi Scholtes (LA '10), who will be on the sidelines as an assistant coach, being the lone exception — it seems a third straight Final Four appearance is certainly within reach for the team.
Leading the team this year as co−captains are senior midfielders Amanda Roberts and Jess Perkins. Roberts, a returning third−team All−American, second−team All−NESCAC offensive midfielder and former team MVP, has the best stick−handling on the team and an acute field sense, which makes her a valuable playmaker behind the forward line.
One row back is Perkins, who joined Roberts on the All−NESCAC team in 2009 and will anchor the defensive midfield as a versatile force capable of stopping opponents' advances and turning them into offensive opportunities. Perkins also returns to the penalty corner team as the Jumbos' striker — she notched four goals and five assists out of the slot last season.
Also returning is 2009 NESCAC Player of the Year Tamara Brown. Brown, a senior whose 2009 statistics blew every other forward in the league out of the water, shattered the Tufts scoring record as a junior — after sitting out her freshman year with a torn ACL. With another year of experience under her belt, it would be an understatement to expect "big things" from Brown.
Joining Brown on the forward line is senior playmaker Melissa Burke, who was a weapon off the bench for the Jumbos in '09. She will be joined on offense by up−and−coming sophomore Kayla Murphy and her speedy classmate Lia Sagerman. The Class of 2014 also brings in offensive talent in Liza Flynn and Chelsea Yogerst.
In the midfield, Roberts will share the field with another skilled ball−handler, junior Lindsay Griffith. Griffith, who can outrun the rest of the NESCAC, will be a threat because of her ability to not only keep the ball on offense for the Jumbos, but also to keep it in good scoring position. The freshmen have their biggest presence in the midfield this year, with four players ready to step into the exhausting position.
In the half−back line, where Scholtes left the biggest hole after graduation, Perkins will be working with classmate Tess Guttadauro, an aggressive and explosive returning starter, as well as sophomore Rachel Gerhardt, who had a breakout season as a first−year. Freshman Emily Cannon, sister to returning junior defender Sarah Cannon, will also see time in the defensive midfield.
At the far back of the field will be first−team All−NESCAC Taylor Dyer, the team's returning co−MVP. As an impenetrable force in the backfield, Dyer, a junior, has been a huge contributing factor to the Jumbos' national success over the past two seasons. So far, it seems Dyer hasn't met an opponent she can't stop, leading her classmate and goalkeeper Marianna Zak to describe her as a defensive "force−field" who makes her job "quite easy."
The Jumbos' potential to breeze through the NESCAC became even more evident over the weekend, when they played their first scrimmages at Trinity. The Bantams were the only team in the league to beat the Jumbos in 2009 but were downed by five at the hands of Tufts' non−starters. Overall, the Jumbos went 3−0 on the weekend, with the first line only seeing the field once.
"I think that everyone is really excited for the season," Roberts said. "This is the most skilled group we've ever had come back from the summer and that builds a lot of confidence within the squad for returners who have seen people graduate from around their positions. I have no doubt in my mind that everyone who is stepping onto the field to fill spots is going to be as successful as they were this weekend."
Although big competition awaits them in the Jumbos' first two NESCAC games — the first is this weekend's home−opener against No. 8 Middlebury and the next on Sept. 17 against No. 14 Amherst — the team is confident it has the talent, speed and focus to capture the top spot not only in the NESCAC, but in the nation as well.
"I'm just psyched to get out and play this weekend," Perkins said. "I think something we're going to focus on this season is getting up for every game because every game has the potential to be really difficult and every team is really excited to play us because we have been doing so well. It's going to be a battle, but if we play as a team and play our best, we will definitely be successful."
"With the program's success in the past and riding the wave of the men's lacrosse victory, it's really exciting to realize that a national championship is very possible," Roberts added. "It's exciting to watch everyone recognize that our skill level is that of a national championship team and we're ready to come out and just win it all."
