The Collegeville Curse strikes again.
An impressive 15−3 campaign that earned the field hockey team both the NESCAC Player of the Year award and a No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament was cut short in the NCAA second round on Saturday by conference foe Middlebury. The Jumbos' loss took place on the same Collegeville, Pa., field where Tufts' national championship dreams were dashed by Bowdoin two years ago.
Coming off a rattling loss to Bowdoin in last week's NESCAC championship game, the Tufts players needed to rally.
Finishing problems that plagued them in that title match were not solved in time, though. The Jumbos lost to the Panthers 3−2 on Saturday, despite outshooting the team 28−7 and earning a 21−5 advantage in penalty corners.
"Going by the statistics, it was a game we should've won," junior defender Taylor Dyer said. "But I don't think it was a lack of effort. I just don't think we showed up to play like it was an NCAA game 8230, but we knew what we were capable of. We just came up a little short."
The Jumbos came out with promising intensity, taking the early lead less than 10 minutes into the game. Sophomore Lia Sagerman tipped in senior co−captain Jess Perkins' drive to put the Jumbos up 1−0. Yet Middlebury tied the game just six minutes later on a tip from Hannah Clarke.
The play remained in Tufts' control as continued pressure finally yielded a golden opportunity: a midgame penalty stroke that was converted into what the Jumbos thought may have been another goal. But a rare foot foul was called on senior Tamara Brown that annulled the otherwise flawless shot.
Still, the action remained mostly in Middlebury's defensive zone until Jumbos junior Lindsay Griffith collected a pass from classmate Sarah Cannon and fired it in with less than nine minutes to play before the half.
"A lot of times we talk about how right after a goal is scored the percentage of another goal being scored in the next two minutes is very high," Dyer said. "So whether it's us scoring or getting scored on, we like to try to either build on our momentum or put a quick end to theirs."
But the Tufts defense couldn't keep Middlebury quiet until the intermission, as just 22 seconds before the halftime buzzer, junior goalkeeper Marianna Zak found herself staring down two Panthers. The goal was inevitable, and the fast−break play tied the score at 2−2 going into the half.
"I think that goal became the turning point in the game," Brown said. "I think for most of the first half we felt totally in control because we outshot them, and though the scoreboard wasn't really reflecting that, we were dominating the game. We were still really confident at halftime."
Tufts again controlled possession in the second half, edging the Panthers 11−4 in both shots and corners in the second frame. But only goals count, and Middlebury was the only team to find the back of the net in the period.
Twelve minutes in, a quick−pass corner play beat Zak and gave Middlebury its first lead of the game.
Refusing to accept the seemingly impossible scoreboard, the offense went to work, racking up eight shots and eight corners after the Panthers' go−ahead tally. But the Jumbos couldn't beat Panther goalie Becca Shaw and fell to their knees as they watched a team that they had already beaten 3−0 this season celebrate a trip to the quarterfinals.
The game was a sad end to a campaign that stood at 9−0 midway through the season and had fans whispering of the team's first national championship. But this disappointment in no way takes away from the accomplishments of this incredible group of players.
Brown took home the NESCAC Player of the Year award for the second year in a row and led the Jumbos and the NESCAC in scoring for the third consecutive season. As Tufts' all−time leading scorer, her contributions to the offense will be hard to replace.
"I would trade in all those individual honors for a national championship in a second," Brown said. "I'm lucky to be a part of a team that gave me the opportunity to grow and also just to be a part of a program that has made such great strides over the past few years. I don't think it ended the way anyone wanted, but I think it's important to take a step back and realize what we accomplished as a team this year and over the last few years."
In the backline, Dyer took home the Defensive Player of the Year honor for her continued ability to shut down almost any offensive threat with a single tackle.
Joining Brown and Dyer on the All−Conference first team was senior co−captain Amanda Roberts, whose athletic prowess didn't always show on the stat sheet but was undeniable in action. Perkins took home second−team honors for her control of the midfield and penalty corners.
It is true the team will suffer big losses in Brown, Roberts, Perkins, Tess Guttadauro and Melissa Burke — all senior starters — but the underclassmen are ready to break the Collegeville Curse in 2011.
Dyer, Griffith, Zak, Cannon and freshman Emily Cannon will all return to their starting posts, leaving the defense essentially intact. Sagerman and classmates Kayla Murphy and Melissa Karp have all shared considerable time on the front line for the Jumbos and will prepare to fill the gap left by Brown. In the midfield, 2009 starter sophomore Rachel Gerhardt will return after a foot injury that sidelined her for all of this season, and classmate Kelsey Perkins will also prepare to step into Guttadauro's position as inserter.
"There will be big losses next season, but I think the seniors have set a good tone for the underclassmen that they are more than ready to uphold," Dyer said. "The defense will be pretty unaffected, and we had a lot of people who came up big off the bench this year. And, since everyone is prepared to work hard in the offseason, we should be able to overcome any of these losses."
Last year, the losses were considerable as well, but the Jumbos have proven they have the depth to fill any spot left open by graduation.
"There are some great players coming back, and there will be a learning curve just like there was this year," Brown said. "But the older girls will help them out, and [coach Tina McDavitt] will help them out, and I'm sure they'll be back at the top next year."
