Tufts field hockey faced off against Amherst on Saturday in their first game of the NESCAC tournament: the quarterfinal. The Jumbos had already defeated the Mammoths 3–1 in October, setting the stage for another tight battle between the two teams. Tufts entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, with an impressive 10-game winning streak and a 13–2 record that topped the conference. Amherst was the No. 8 seed with an 8–7 record before last weekend’s matchup.
The Jumbos started the game swinging, scoring the first goal just over three minutes in. Junior forward/midfielder Reagan Malo tapped a bouncing ball to first-year forward/midfielder Eleanor Helm at the 23-meter line, who shot backhanded from the left side of the circle to convert her 11th goal of the season. The rest of the period didn’t see too much action, the only attempt from either team being an Amherst shot taken with about six minutes remaining.
Tufts continued the trend of scoring early in the period with a goal from Malo five minutes into the second quarter. Her first goal of the season came on a backhand pass from senior forward Hannah Biccard, allowing Malo to knock it in from the right post and give the Jumbos an early 2–0 lead.
Amherst refused to give up, their first goal coming with about six minutes left in the second quarter. On a corner attempt, which was the first of the game for both teams, forward Genevieve Caruso scored immediately after rebounding her own shot from senior goalie Lydia Eastburn’s save. Less than three minutes later, the Mammoths struck again, this time on a long pass from defender Emily Huehn to forward Caroline Busler that traveled from behind Amherst’s 23-meter line to the top of the Tufts circle. Busler then got around two defenders to score on a shot that was almost blocked by Eastburn. The Jumbos got off two more shots before the end of the period, which were saved and blocked, leading to a tied-up game at halftime that initially looked like it could have been a blowout.
The third quarter was rather uneventful, with both teams battling hard but neither being able to impose significant offensive pressure. The only shot of the period came from Tufts’ Biccard, a blocked attempt about four minutes into the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Jumbos showed why they were the top team in the conference, scoring another early-period goal that proved to be the eventual game-winner. They started the quarter with two consecutive corner attempts, finishing the game with four total attempts. Junior midfielder/defender Claire Casey took a good shot on the first try, with an even better save by Amherst goalie Grace Puchalski. The second corner saw junior midfielder Lilly Ragusa pass to sophomore midfielder/forward Eleanor Luft. She then passed to Casey near the middle of the circle, who gave the ball to Malo at the goal front. Malo promptly converted her second goal of the game and the season, marking an incredible performance when her team needed it the most.
There were still 13 minutes left to play before Tufts could celebrate moving on to the semifinals, but most of the remaining game time was dominated by the Jumbos. However, Amherst did receive a penalty corner with nine minutes to go, and took a shot, which was saved by Eastburn. Tufts took seven more shots before the final whistle and added a penalty corner, but was unable to add insurance to their slim lead. The Mammoths also decided to pull their goalie for an extra offensive player over the last four minutes of the contest, but the Jumbos were unfazed and didn’t allow another shot. Helm wrote to the Daily, “I think we knew that Amherst was going to put everything they had into that game. Their season was on the line and we knew they were going to have the momentum at some point. I think we did a good job staying calm and playing our own game.”
Overall, the Jumbos took 14 shots to just six from the Mammoths, but both teams had five shots on goal. Only six corners total were taken in the game, with four of them coming from Tufts. Eastburn finished with three saves, and Puchalski had two for Amherst after replacing starter Kate Grady.
Tufts has officially advanced to the semifinal of the NESCAC tournament, where it will face No. 4 Wesleyan in Medford on Saturday. Wesleyan defeated Williams 2–1 in the quarterfinals and is seeking revenge for their 4–1 loss to the Jumbos earlier this season. Wesleyan will be a tough opponent, now holding a 13–3 record and a nine-game win streak of their own. Helm wrote about the mentality going into the matchup: “I think not focusing so much on the fact that we beat them. We’re both different teams since that win in September and we have to be prepared to play a better version of the team we last faced. I think staying confident in the fact that we did win the last matchup but not underestimating how much Wesleyan has probably improved.”
Also facing off in the semifinals will be No. 3 Bates and No. 2 Middlebury, who defeated Hamilton and Bowdoin, respectively. Importantly, both the semifinal games and the final, which is scheduled for the next day, will be held at Tufts, because the Jumbos hold the highest remaining seed. Next week, Tufts field hockey will hopefully be celebrating a NESCAC championship.
“The fact that the team won NESCACS last year has made a huge difference in the confidence of not only individuals but the whole team. It’s made my first experience really positive rather than nerve wracking,” Helm wrote.
