Last Saturday, Tufts took on Hamilton in its last guaranteed home game and celebrated its six seniors. The team’s most recent game was a crucial overtime victory at Wesleyan. Looking to carry this momentum, the Jumbos were eager to get back onto Bello Field.
“Our juniors, sophomores, and [first-years] did an incredible job making us feel so loved and special, and everyone was ready to carry that love onto the field,” senior defender Nicola Donlan wrote in a message to the Daily. “We are a team that really values having fun while we play, so with the mix of celebrating the seniors and our last regular-season game on Bello, vibes were amazing going into the game.”
Tufts won the draw control to open the game. Hamilton’s defense stripped the ball away, brought it down the field and scored within the first two minutes. Hamilton came away with the ball again, leading to its second goal. Tufts responded on its third possession as first-year attacker Eleanor Helm found junior attacker Sophia Claps in the eight-meter. Shortly after, sophomore attacker Anna Mollahan earned a free-position shot, where she passed the ball to senior attacker Allie Zorn, who pump-faked and buried the ball to tie up the score.
The remaining minutes of the quarter showcased both teams’ defense. The Jumbos stifled Hamilton on the ride and applied pressure on the ball carrier no matter where it was on the field. Similarly, the Continentals’ goalkeeper made five saves in the first 15 minutes.
The beginning of the second quarter followed the same defensive pattern. Tufts wreaked havoc on Hamilton’s offensive attempts, thwarting two back-to-back clear attempts and causing turnovers to gain possession. However, the Jumbos’ three shots on goal were saved by Schwarz.
Tufts finally converted its possession when Helm earned a free-position shot and — taking a page out of Mollahan’s book — passed the ball to junior midfielder Schuyler Lloyd, who scored on the doorstep of the goal to take the lead. Hamilton responded five minutes later with a goal of its own. However, before halftime, Helm scored to regain Tufts’ lead.
While the first half was a defensive battle, the second was more offensively focused. Hamilton came out of halftime determined to stay in the game, earning possession off of the draw and taking advantage of a player-up situation to tie the game once again. Less than a minute later, Zorn replied with a goal of her own, assisted by junior midfielder Grace Hammond, which was followed by another Hamilton goal. Tufts then went on a 4–0 run to bring the score to 9–5 going into the final quarter — the Jumbos’ first multi-goal lead of the game.
Hamilton scored its final goal of the game four minutes into the fourth quarter on a free-position opportunity. From that point on, Tufts completely dominated the game with draw controls, relentless defense and determined offense. The Jumbos went on a 6–0 run to finish out the game, with three goals each from Lloyd and Helm, for a 15–6 victory.
“The first half was incredibly tight and proved to be much more of a defensive battle against a gritty Hamilton team,” Donlan wrote. “However, the second half showed that we can put our foot on the gas and battle back hard, converting a lot of our shots in style. This win showed that when we play our game on both sides of the ball, we get the results we strive for.”
The seniors had impressive performances. Zorn had two goals and an assist, and senior midfielder Kate Deehan contributed a goal and was fierce in the draw circle. Senior midfielder Elsa Schutt took the draw for the Jumbos, earning nine draw controls and a goal, while Donlan and senior defender Annie Aspesi held it down on defense, causing turnovers and grabbing ground balls.
“Aside from the win, I felt the endless love that my grade has for each other and that our team has for one another. It was such a special senior day that I will never forget,” Aspesi added.
After this victory, as well as Wednesday’s win against Bowdoin, Tufts is tied for second in the NESCAC, matching Wesleyan with a 8–2 conference record. Tufts will return to Bello Field this weekend to begin the conference playoffs. Last year, Tufts made it to the NESCAC championship and defeated Wesleyan 13–7.
