A packed Parents Weekend crowd this Saturday was treated to a barnburner, as the women's soccer team played host to national No. 13 Williams. The game was full of fast−paced play and ample opportunities, but after 110 minutes of action, each team earned a well−deserved point in a 0−0 draw.
"Any other day, we would be pretty unhappy with a draw," senior co−captain Sarah Nolet said. "I think we are a better team than they are. But looking back on how we played on Saturday, I think we were lucky to get the draw. They put a lot of pressure on us, and I don't think we played very well."
While each team had its chances, the Ephs earned the lion's share of the scoring opportunities. But luckily for the Jumbos, freshman keeper Kristin Wright was up to the task, making nine saves in arguably the best performance of her young career.
"Kristin easily had the best game of any goalie I have played with at Tufts," Nolet said. "It was a real breakout game for her. We've seen some of that type of stuff at practice, but she just hasn't needed to do that in games. We haven't been tested like we were on Saturday, and she came up huge."
The match was bereft of action early with Williams owning much of the possession in the first 15 minutes. But the Ephs found themselves unable to pick apart the experienced Tufts backline.
Eventually, the Ephs began to find some chances, largely on the back of senior forward Annelise Snyder. In one of the Ephs' best scoring opportunities, Snyder worked the ball down to the end line before sending a low cross to the left of Wright, forcing the goalie to come diving off her line to fall on it.
Then, just five minutes later, Snyder was flicked in behind the defense at the top of the box. She sent a shot back across the goal that beat a diving Wright but continued wide of the post as the Jumbos let out a sigh of relief.
The break could not come soon enough for Tufts, which desperately needed to regroup.
"We did well to generate offense in the first 30 minutes, and then I think we got a little panicked and got pulled out of formation," junior forward Jamie Love−Nichols said. "I think if we just calm down and have more confidence we will get better results."
The team came out reenergized and almost took the lead in the 52nd minute. A ball in the box fell to freshman Maeve Stewart, but she was unable to gain control and volleyed it over the crossbar.
The half continued with even play much of the way, but the Ephs looked to win it with one final chance in the 90th minute. A well−timed through−pass looked as though it was going to play to a Williams' forward, but Wright raced off her line, beating the Ephs to the ball and absorbing the collision that came moments later.
In the overtime periods, the match continued to offer its fair share of drama. In the 97th minute, junior midfielder Alix Michael found space down the right side and sent in a cross towards sophomore midfielder Rachel Aronchick. A Williams defender seemingly tackled Aronchick to the ground as the ball was headed towards them, but the referee didn't touch his whistle, letting the Ephs off the hook.
"I don't hold it against the refs," Nolet said. "I think they called a good game. A call like that would have changed the outcome of the game, so it's a tough call to make. I think in an overtime 0−0 game, that's not a call you make."
The game remained in the balance until the very last minute, when the Ephs found numbers on the attack and slotted it out to junior forward Brett Eisenhart on the left side of the box. Her shot had pace, but Wright came through for her final save of the game, preserving the shutout and the draw.
"Those defensive letdowns are not okay and we really need to fix that," Nolet said. "It was scary, but I trust Kristin behind us."
The match was the first time Tufts had earned any points against Williams since 2006. It was also the seventh shutout of the year for a defensive unit that was reunited with the return of Nolet, who was serving a one−game suspension for a red card she picked up the previous weekend.
The Jumbos do not have a weekday game this week, giving them a much−needed rest after their overtime thriller. It is also the first couple of days off from practice the team has had since before the season started.
"I think that it will be good to recover, especially with having to go to overtime [Saturday]," Love−Nichols said. "It was a pretty tiring game."
Friday brings the regular season finale for Tufts, as Bowdoin comes to town. A win or draw against the Polar Bears will clinch a top−two finish in the NESCAC, while any result better than Amherst's against Trinity that same day will earn Tufts the top spot. It also potentially serves as a preview of Sunday's NESCAC first round match−up, as Tufts and Bowdoin are currently second and seventh in the conference standings.
But despite the variety of potential playoff scenarios hinging on the game, the Jumbos plan to simply go out and play the same way they have from the beginning of the season.
"There are definitely still some bugs we need to fix, and a win Saturday would have been huge," Nolet said. "But I think in terms of players and ability and potential for the rest of the season, we are in good shape, and I'm really excited."
