The national No. 5 field hockey team on Tuesday traveled to Springfield College for its last chance to work out any kinks before tomorrow's match−up with the undefeated No. 4 Bowdoin Polar Bears. Though the level of play may not have been as high as the team would have liked, the Jumbos walked away with a 4−0 win in which the Pride were denied a single shot on goal.
"I don't think it was our best game," senior forward Tamara Brown said. "But there were definitely a lot of positives from it and we had a lot of people in different positions. So, given that, it was a pretty strong performance."
Despite controlling the pace of play and possession for most of the first period, Tufts was unable to get on the board until less than 30 seconds before the break. As the clock wound down, junior midfielder Lindsay Griffith found herself with the ball on a fast break opportunity. She looked up and sent a lead pass to Brown, who made quick work of the Springfield defense and drew the Pride's junior goalkeeper Alison McCarthy to her left. Brown then slid the ball to sophomore Lia Sagerman on the opposite post, who slammed it into the open net for the 1−0 lead.
After the break, the Jumbos picked up where they left off, scoring quickly on a penalty corner opportunity. Brown received the insert and found Griffith in front of the goal for the 2−0 lead, earning Brown her second assist of the game. Thirteen minutes later, sophomore Missy Karp made it 3−0 on a feed from freshman Chelsea Yogerst. Then, in the closing minutes, sophomore midfielder Kelsey Perkins completed the scoring after receiving an assist from first−year Emily Cannon.
Throughout the game, the defense stood strong, allowing only two shots, neither of which challenged junior keeper Marianna Zak. But the offense was not as composed, often finding itself disorganized due to the forced shuffling of positions. Starting senior forward Melissa Burke was sidelined with muscle issues, so the rest of the team was forced to try and fill the gap. The rest will hopefully benefit Burke, whose speed and hard outside shots will be vital to Tufts' attack against Bowdoin.
At 5 p.m. tomorrow, Tufts will welcome Bowdoin to Bello Field for the first time since the 2008 NESCAC Championship. The Jumbos will have no room for error against the Polar Bears, who currently sit at fourth in the national rankings and own the only undefeated record in Div. III. The game will not only be a battle for national standing, but will also determine the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC tournament, which begins Sunday.
"I think Bowdoin is a very defensively−oriented team, so you'll see them win a lot of their games 1−0 or 2−0," Brown said. "It's going to have to be a major team effort from both the offense and defense because they don't have many weaknesses −− they're a very strong team across the board."
"I think we've been working a lot on communicating as a defensive unit," senior co−captain Jess Perkins said. "Starting from the back, we've been talking a lot to make sure everyone is in a good position to come up with the ball. [Tomorrow] we're going to have to continue to work on that communication inside of our defensive 25 [yard line] and especially in our defensive circle, because we haven't had as much pressure there. And, we have to make sure we stay solid so we can prevent Bowdoin from getting high quality shots."
In recent years, the rivalry between these two teams has been intense. Last year, the two−time defending champion Polar Bears were in a rebuilding year after graduating NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year Lindsay McNamara in 2009. But two years ago, the Polar Bears handed the Jumbos their only two losses −− in the NESCAC Championship, as well as a 3−2 double−overtime loss in the National Championship. And in 2007, Bowdoin edged out Tufts for the top spot in the league standings as well, on its way to a national title.
This year, Tufts will take on a Bowdoin squad that seems to be as good as it was in 2008 when it escaped with the NCAA crown. The Jumbos know they will need to play their best game of the season if they hope to hand the Polar Bears their first loss.
"I think we're just really excited to play on our field since … we've had to travel to Bowdoin for this Friday night game since 2008," Perkins said. "It's going to be nice to play in front of our fans and on our turf −− which is different than the kind of turf that Bowdoin plays on. We match up really well with them so we're prepared for it to be a battle, so we're excited to have home−field advantage for that."
"I think the biggest feeling we have is excitement," Brown said. "I think we've put ourselves in a really good position and we're really proud to have this opportunity. So far this season, I don't think we have played our best hockey for a full 70 minutes, and I think [tomorrow] needs to be that day because we have a lot on the line."
Ultimately, with both teams being so highly skilled, the game will come down to a few moments of execution. And with such parity between the squads, an exciting, hard−fought clash of these field hockey titans is inevitable.
"I don't think anyone feels nervous," Perkins said. "Just excited and ready for a battle."
