On Saturday, the No. 4 women's soccer team was eliminated from the first round of the NESCAC tournament for the third time in four years, falling 5−3 in penalty kicks to No. 5 Wesleyan.
While the Jumbos outshot the Cardinals 31 to 10, they were unable to convert most of their opportunities, allowing Wesleyan to prevail after more than 110 minutes of hard−nosed play. The result was further dampened by low temperatures and heavy rain, and it marked the last collegiate appearance for six veteran seniors, including co−captainmidfielders Olivia Rowse and Lauren O'Connor. Tufts finished the season 7−4−4.
"Although I obviously wish the end didn't come so soon, there are so many positives to walk away with from this season and my career as a whole," O'Connor said. "Soccer has been such a huge defining aspect of my college career and I'm so thankful for the time I had as a Jumbo. As a senior class I think we really proved to be something special and I think we all have a lot to be proud of."
Wesleyan was the first to strike in the 13th minute, when sophomore Kerry Doyle — the NESCAC Player of the Week — carried the ball into the right side of the box and passed it to senior Barrie Lindsay. Lindsay then sent the ball past Jumbos sophomore keeper Kristin Wright and into the near post for the first tally of the contest.
"They got pretty lucky and capitalized on a momentary lapse of focus," junior midfielder Alyssa Von Puttkammer said.
Less than eight minutes later, however, the Jumbos responded with a tally of their own, when sophomore defenseman Erin Stone sent a threatening shot at the Cardinals' freshman keeper, Jessica Tollman. Tollman slid to punch away Stone's attempt, but as the ball came loose, Rowse stepped in to finish her teammate's drive and tie the game for the Jumbos. That was the only goal Tollman allowed, however, as she posted a whopping 17 saves on the afternoon.
"That goal came from a nice corner from Alyssa which Erin got a piece of," O'Connor said. "Olivia was right on the goal line to pick up the scraps and put it away. With that we definitely picked up the momentum and dictated the tempo for the remainder of the game."
As halftime approached, Tufts almost took the lead off the foot of freshman Alina Okamoto, who beat out every Cardinals defender only to have Tollman deny her chance. The teams entered the intermission deadlocked at 1−1.
In the second half, the Jumbos continued to pressure and dominate play, out−shooting their visitors 14 to three. However, they could not find the back of the net.
Wright made two additional saves to preserve the tie, and after 90 minutes of regulation play, the teams were bound for overtime.
"We definitely dominated the game. The stats show that," Von Puttkammer said. "Their keeper made a couple of key saves, but mostly we just couldn't find the back of the net."
As the rain and wind picked up, the game remained scoreless despite several shots and consistent pressure from the Jumbos. Although Tufts possessed the ball for much of the extra time periods, Wesleyan had one particularly threatening shot in the second overtime. Wright was up to the task, making a diving stop to send the game to penalty kicks.
"Kristin had an amazing save but that was really the only legitimate look they had," O'Connor said. "We wanted that win and kept pounding away but sometimes you just come up short and unfortunately that was the case Saturday."
"Kris made a great save. I think defensively and offensively it was all there for us, minus that last touch," Von Puttkammer added. "Then [going into penalty strokes] it was pretty similar to last year except that this year we knew how to deal with adversity better."
The Cardinals shot first and converted their first four penalties. Tufts, going second, banked their first three on strikes from O'Connor, Von Puttkammer and senior defenseman Laney Siegner.
However, the Jumbos' fourth shooter, sophomore defenseman Bizzy Lincoln, pushed her shot just left of the goal, making Lindsay's attempt the decisive kick for the Cardinals. Lindsay buried the shot past Wright, clinching the win for Wesleyan and allowing the Jumbos no chance for rebuttal.
"[Coach Martha Whiting] emphasized the importance of getting it done," Von Puttkammer said. "Coming out hard and just getting the job done. After the game there unfortunately isn't much to be said."
While Wesleyan prepares for a semifinal matchup at No. 1 Amherst this weekend, the Jumbos look to regroup from their heartbreaking loss. For Tufts, Saturday's defeat bore a painful resemblance to last year's quarterfinal, where the Jumbos fell 3−2 in penalty kicks to Bates. Despite the loss, however, the younger Jumbos are hopeful that they can channel this year's hardships into their preparation for next year.
"We really came together as a team and we're going to use this to fuel our fire next season," Von Puttkammer said. "Obviously we'll miss the seniors, but we have a lot of strong underclassmen and we're looking forward to a successful season next fall."
