Tufts field hockey returned to the No.1 spot in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Coaches Poll this week, as the previously undefeated Salisbury University and Christopher Newport University earned their first losses of the season. The Jumbos maintained their undefeated streak in a victory over the University of Rochester Yellowjackets and a double overtime win against No. 12 Wesleyan Cardinals last week.
All eyes of DIII field hockey were on Tuesday’s matchup: Tufts vs. Babson. Last year, this matchup ended with a Jumbos loss in overtime. Babson, who made it to the NCAA final four last year before falling to Johns Hopkins, was anticipated to be one of Tufts’ toughest opponents so far in the season.
The first quarter was extremely back and forth. It started with Tufts dominating and pushing into Babson’s circle early. There were two shots on goal and a penalty corner for the Jumbos within the first four minutes of play, all thwarted by the Beavers’ defense. Tufts earned another corner a few moments later, executed beautifully with a strong shot taken by junior midfielder Eleanor Luft, which was saved by the Babson goalie. Tufts also got the chance to display their strong defense through the back-and-forth play, as senior goalkeeper Isabel Ginns defended a late Babson attempt by sliding out of the cage to take the ball from the lone Babson forward.
The second period continued the stalemate, as both defenses proved strong. Babson managed to penetrate the Tufts’ circle late in the quarter, managing to get a shot off which was saved by Ginns; however, the resulting chaos in the circle led to a penalty corner for Babson. Babson junior midfielder Penny Baroni received the ball at the top of the circle and took it laterally before firing a shot which was once again saved by Ginns. The first half continued with an empty score.
Babson came out for the third quarter with urgency, dominating possession and applying immense offensive pressure on Tufts. The Beavers got a series of shots in the first half of the period, all of which were forced wide or blocked by the formidable Jumbo defense. Tufts sophomore forward Eleanor Helm managed to take a few shots on goal, but Babson’s sophomore goalkeeper Madison Tibbals denied each attempt. In the last five minutes of the period, Babson seemed to dominate in Tufts’ defensive half, earning two penalty corners and three shots on goal, gracefully handled by Ginns. Eventually, the Jumbos managed to maintain possession for the last minute, bringing the ball to the corner to draw out the clock.
As the final quarter began, the pressure was on both teams to make a difference on the scoreboard. The Jumbos responded to that pressure early. Sophomore midfielder Scarlett Carpenter stole the ball from the Beavers in their defensive end and got the ball to Helm in the circle, who carried it baseline before sending it up to stroke. From there, senior midfielder Lilly Ragusa lifted it above Tibbals to score. Tufts took the first lead of the game a minute and 13 seconds into the fourth quarter. They continued to shoot on goal and earn penalty corners; however, the Babson defense remained alert.
Finally, after six goal attempts by the Jumbos, Helm, with a ball from Luft up the sideline, sprinted towards the cage and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper as she came sliding out, hoping to stop Helm. This extended Tufts’ lead with less than six minutes left to play. This was also Helm’s 10th goal of the season. Babson fought to generate something on offense and managed to earn a penalty corner with one minute left in the game. After a series of passes after the initial insert, Tufts snatched the ball away, preventing Babson from even taking a shot on the corner, and maintained possession for the final moments.
“This was a really important game for us, especially against a strong, ranked team like Babson,” junior midfielder Riley Schmidt wrote in a message to the Daily. “We knew it was going to be a good game, and it took a full team effort to pull out the win. I think it showed how well we can play when everyone works together.”
This victory brings the Jumbos to an 8–0 overall record halfway through the regular season.
Senior defender Claire Casey wrote, “Being the reigning national champions, we know that every team is going to bring their best against us, so we have to keep pushing each other and not get comfortable. It is still early in the season, so we are focused on taking it one game at a time.”
Tufts has some tough NESCAC rivals coming up, with a busy weekend on the road. They will travel to take on No. 14 Amherst on Saturday before facing No. 11 Hamilton on Sunday.
