What began as a heartbreaking weekend for the No. 2 field hockey team ended on a much higher note. The Jumbos, who were eliminated from their conference tournament in the semifinal round for the second straight year, earned an at-large NCAA bid late Sunday night.
What began as a heartbreaking weekend for the No. 2 field hockey team ended on a much higher note. The Jumbos, who were eliminated from their conference tournament in the semifinal round for the second straight year, earned an at-large NCAA bid late Sunday night.
The womens soccer teams playoff run ended Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Middlebury in the NESCAC semifinals. The loss in the semifinals marked the farthest Tufts has gone since 2009. Middlebury went on to win the conference with a 1-0 win over Williams.
The Tufts Quidditch team, the Tufflepuffs, entered the 2013 season as one of the top programs in North America, and they have only improved their reputation this season. With a program building on its recent success, the Tufflepuffs have turned a mix of young and veteran players into a formidable force that is well on its way to competing in the World Cup come April.
To say the odds will be stacked against the Jumbos when they step onto Zimman Field to face the Middlebury Panthers tomorrow (12:30 p.m.) would be an understatement. Tufts has lost 30 consecutive games and is coming off arguably its worst performance of the season, a 37-0 shellacking at Colby. Middlebury is 6-1 and could win a share of the NESCAC title.But the Jumbos have something to play for in the season finale: their pride. The players and coaches see a program on the brink of recovery. A good effort against the Panthers would set the tone for continued improvement and show outsiders that this team is serious about competing. Our backs are against the wall, fifth-year receiver Nick Kenyon, the Jumbos lone player who has experienced multiple victories, said. There would be nothing better than sending us out with a win.The game carries special meaning for the nine seniors who have stuck it out to the end: Kenyon, tri-captains Sean Harrington and Connor Glazier, Nate Marchand, Nash Simpson, Cord Deal, Jon Sobo, Ryan Pollock and Matt Johnson. (Simpson and Deal were each away from the program for a year; Johnson has not played this season due to a torn pectoral muscle.)In 2010, the Class of 2014 was 21 deep. Now, after four, frustrating years, nine remain.A lot of their friends either arent here at school or are somewhere on campus, but theyre not out here with us, head coach Jay Civetti said. This group of guys [has gone] through their college career with one win, and still come out and fight, still come out and push every day.While the results have yet to show on the field, the seniors have watched Tufts football undergo a major culture change during their time here. In many ways, they have also helped spark that change.The amount of progress weve made is unbelievable, Kenyon said. When I first came in here, football was treated very lightly. Guys werent nearly as committed. But coach Civetti has done an amazing job in making the program respectable on campus.Regardless of what happens tomorrow, the seniors know they have made their mark.All I wanted to do my senior year was to leave this program better than it was when I came into it my freshman year, Harrington said. I can definitely say thats happened.This year especially, Harrington has helped establish the programs legitimacy, keeping the Jumbos focused on the field and encouraging a more demanding offseason regimen. Sooner than later, he believes his hard work will pay dividends. Whether its this game or its next season, when we get that first win ... its gonna be like that [work] wasnt for nothing. Those four years werent for nothing. QB battle, againTomorrows starting quarterback will either be freshman Alex Snyder, who has started the last three games and was a game-time decision last week due to an undisclosed illness, or junior Jack Doll, who started the first four games and returned Monday from a tear in his left (non-throwing) labrum. Civetti had not yet named a starter at press time.The battle presents a dilemma between a fresh face in Snyder, who threw four touchdowns against Williams but has had trouble since, and a more experienced player in Doll, who had his moments early in the season but also made some critical mistakes. I think any time theres competition, thats a good sign, Civetti said. That shows that Jacks come back and hes hungry. Is he injured? Yeah, [but] its his off-throwing arm. Im just glad hes able to come back and compete.Civetti also has high expectations for the freshman from Colorado with a rocket-arm.Alex had a great Williams game, had an OK Amherst game, and whether you want to use the sickness as an excuse or not [against Colby], we need him to step up and make plays, Civetti said.Foote-ballTufts biggest concern tomorrow will be Middleburys senior quarterback McCallum Foote, who leads the NESCAC in passing yards per game (337.6) and touchdown passes (19), both by large margins.Civetti suggested Foote may be the best quarterback in all of Div. III. His skill set has affected the teams preparation during the week.We changed a little bit how we practiced this week so we could get some extra looks in, because obviously McCallum Foote provides some different challenges, Civetti said. Middlebury is first in the conference in passing and last in rushing. At Amherst, Foote threw a mind-boggling 84 times, completing 54 passes and throwing five interceptions while amassing 459 yards. Middlebury lost that game, 37-16.12
The Tufts Quidditch team, the Tufflepuffs, entered the 2013 season as one of the top programs in North America, and they have only improved their reputation this season. With a program building on its recent success, the Tufflepuffs have turned a mix of young and veteran players into a formidable force that is well on its way to competing in the World Cup come April.
Wrapping up its fall season, the womens crew team brought its sculling boats to Princeton this Sunday to compete in the Collegiate Small Boat Regatta. Led by senior co-captain Caroline Ricard, whose second place finish in the Singles C Final was Tufts best at the regatta, the Jumbos rounded out a successful fall with a strong showing in their final event this season.
Wrapping up its fall season, the women's crew team brought its sculling boats to Princeton this Sunday to compete in the Collegiate Small Boat Regatta. Led by senior co-captain Caroline Ricard, whose second place finish in the Singles C Final was Tufts' best at the regatta, the Jumbos rounded out a successful fall with a strong showing in their final event this season.
The co-ed and womens sailing teams competed in five different regattas this past weekend. Seven Tufts sailors participated at the main co-ed event, the 73rd Annual Professor Schell Trophy at MIT, while six others raced at the womens event, the Victorian Coffee Urn at Harvard. Nine sailors were at the secondary co-ed event, the Dave Perry Trophy at Yale, and 18 freshmen sailors stayed in Medford for the Nickerson Trophy, hosted by Tufts. Finally, the third co-ed event, the Providence College Invite #2, featured four Jumbo sailors.
The men's cross country team traveled back to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn. for the 2013 NESCAC Championship meet, but were unable to defend last year's conference title.
There was no bright side this time. Throughout the season, there have been signs of progress from Tufts football. The Jumbos came within one stop of beating Bates. They could practically taste victory against Bowdoin. At Williams, they fell behind early before making a valiant comeback. Last week, they forced six Amherst turnovers and the score was tied at halftime.
The mens cross country team traveled back to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Conn. for the 2013 NESCAC Championship meet, but were unable to defend last years conference title.
The Jumbos are back to a winning conference record after a 1-0 victory on the road against the Continentals on Saturday. Freshman Brooke Fortin netted the goal for the Jumbos in the second half to give the team their fifth NESCAC win of the season.
The co-ed and women's sailing teams competed in seven events collectively over the weekend. The most prestigious event for the co-ed team was the Sherman Hoyt Trophy held at Brown University, while the Stu Nelson Trophy at Conn. College was the headliner for the women's team.
The womens soccer team dropped its final regular season match to Bowdoin, 3-2, on Wednesday at Kraft Field in a preview of Saturdays first-round playoff match. If this past game was any indication, Saturdays match could be a 90-minute classic. The Jumbos ended their regular season with a 5-5-0 in-conference record and an 8-6-0 record overall.The game started at a slow pace, with neither team getting a shot on goal in the first 10 minutes. In the 13th minute, the Polar Bears struck first. Junior Abby Einwag took the ball up the left sideline and found sophomore Jamie Hofstetter. Hofstetter had time to slide the ball past senior goalkeeper Kristin Wright to the far side to put Bowdoin up 1-0.The Jumbos responded, outshooting the Polar Bears 8-4 in the first half and moving the ball well against Bowdoins tough defense. Rotating in forwards throughout the game, Tufts was able to take advantage of fresh legs and favorable matchups to keep the ball in their opponents territory. Our forwards this year are very athletic and very dynamic, coach Martha Whiting said after the game. They play off of each other well and are creating a lot of opportunities for themselves.This was evident with three minutes remaining in the first half, when the Jumbos were finally able to take advantage of their attack. Senior Amanda Neveu placed her corner kick in a crowd of players, forcing Bowdoins sophomore goalkeeper Bridget McCarthy to try and punch the ball out. But it skidded off her fingers, allowing freshman Robin Estus to finish and tie the game going into the second half.Carrying over the momentum, the Jumbos came out strong in the second half, forcing the Polar Bears to play on their heels with an all-out attack.I think we are all starting to mesh, junior defender Catharine Greer said. Today, the whole team had a lot of energy, and we really came together.Senior tri-captain forward Anya Kaufmann almost put Tufts ahead in the 47th minute, but a diving McCarthy prevented Kaufmann from adding to her team-leading total. Eight minutes later, Bowdoin sophomore Kiersten Turner received a pass from senior Molly Popolizio and rocketed a shot on goal. Wright made the difficult save, but the rebound took a bounce in favor of the Polar Bears. Turner buried the ball into the empty net to give Bowdoin a 2-1 lead.Continuing the back-and-forth theme of the game, Tufts responded by pressuring Bowdoin. In the 63rd minute, McCarthy went out of the 18-yard box to play a long pass, only to see freshman Jess Capone closing fast on her. McCarthys clear was knocked down by Capone, who deflected the ball to junior Victoria Stoj. With McCarthy out of position, Stoj calmly passed it into the net to tie the game at 2-2.The final 25 minutes became physical, with both teams fighting hard for every 50-50 ball and the forwards continually pressing in hopes of pressuring the opponents backline into a costly mistake. This strategy would ultimately work in Bowdoins favor in the 70th minute. After Tufts was unable to clear the ball, Bowdoin sophomore Audrey Phillips gathered the ball on the top of the 18-yard box and found herself with space. She took a quick dribble, scanned the field and unleashed a hard, left-footed line drive that settled into the opposite sides bottom corner. Wright had neither the time nor the angle to make a diving attempt at the shot that capped off the scoring at 3-2.We gave them a little too much space to play with, Whiting said of the goal. Within 25 yards, we have to defend a little tighter. We held off too much.For the remaining 20 minutes, Bowdoin changed to a conservative defense to prevent any kind of counter-attack from Tufts. When the Jumbos were able to get the ball up the field, they were forced to the sidelines. This worked in Bowdoins favor, as the Polar Bears relied on their tall, physical defenders to keep most of the Jumbos crosses from reaching their intended targets. For the final stretch of the game, Tufts unable to penetrate the Bowdoin-filled 18-yard box was left to fire shots from 20-plus yards out, doing little to challenge McCarthy.12
The women's soccer team dropped its final regular season match to Bowdoin, 3-2, on Wednesday at Kraft Field in a preview of Saturday's first-round playoff match. If this past game was any indication, Saturday's match could be a 90-minute classic. The Jumbos ended their regular season with a 5-5-0 in-conference record and an 8-6-0 record overall.
The women's soccer team dropped its final regular season match to Bowdoin, 3-2, on Wednesday at Kraft Field in a preview of Saturday's first-round playoff match. If this past game was any indication, Saturday's match could be a 90-minute classic. The Jumbos ended their regular season with a 5-5-0 in-conference record and an 8-6-0 record overall.The game started at a slow pace, with neither team getting a shot on goal in the first 10 minutes. In the 13th minute, the Polar Bears struck first. Junior Abby Einwag took the ball up the left sideline and found sophomore Jamie Hofstetter. Hofstetter had time to slide the ball past senior goalkeeper Kristin Wright to the far side to put Bowdoin up 1-0.The Jumbos responded, outshooting the Polar Bears 8-4 in the first half and moving the ball well against Bowdoin's tough defense. Rotating in forwards throughout the game, Tufts was able to take advantage of fresh legs and favorable matchups to keep the ball in their opponent's territory. "Our forwards this year are very athletic and very dynamic," coach Martha Whiting said after the game. "They play off of each other well and are creating a lot of opportunities for themselves."This was evident with three minutes remaining in the first half, when the Jumbos were finally able to take advantage of their attack. Senior Amanda Neveu placed her corner kick in a crowd of players, forcing Bowdoin's sophomore goalkeeper Bridget McCarthy to try and punch the ball out. But it skidded off her fingers, allowing freshman Robin Estus to finish and tie the game going into the second half.Carrying over the momentum, the Jumbos came out strong in the second half, forcing the Polar Bears to play on their heels with an all-out attack."I think we are all starting to mesh," junior defender Catharine Greer said. "Today, the whole team had a lot of energy, and we really came together."Senior tri-captain forward Anya Kaufmann almost put Tufts ahead in the 47th minute, but a diving McCarthy prevented Kaufmann from adding to her team-leading total. Eight minutes later, Bowdoin sophomore Kiersten Turner received a pass from senior Molly Popolizio and rocketed a shot on goal. Wright made the difficult save, but the rebound took a bounce in favor of the Polar Bears. Turner buried the ball into the empty net to give Bowdoin a 2-1 lead.Continuing the back-and-forth theme of the game, Tufts responded by pressuring Bowdoin. In the 63rd minute, McCarthy went out of the 18-yard box to play a long pass, only to see freshman Jess Capone closing fast on her. McCarthy's clear was knocked down by Capone, who deflected the ball to junior Victoria Stoj. With McCarthy out of position, Stoj calmly passed it into the net to tie the game at 2-2.The final 25 minutes became physical, with both teams fighting hard for every 50-50 ball and the forwards continually pressing in hopes of pressuring the opponent's backline into a costly mistake. This strategy would ultimately work in Bowdoin's favor in the 70th minute. After Tufts was unable to clear the ball, Bowdoin sophomore Audrey Phillips gathered the ball on the top of the 18-yard box and found herself with space. She took a quick dribble, scanned the field and unleashed a hard, left-footed line drive that settled into the opposite side's bottom corner. Wright had neither the time nor the angle to make a diving attempt at the shot that capped off the scoring at 3-2."We gave them a little too much space to play with," Whiting said of the goal. "Within 25 yards, we have to defend a little tighter. We held off too much."For the remaining 20 minutes, Bowdoin changed to a conservative defense to prevent any kind of counter-attack from Tufts. When the Jumbos were able to get the ball up the field, they were forced to the sidelines. This worked in Bowdoin's favor, as the Polar Bears relied on their tall, physical defenders to keep most of the Jumbos' crosses from reaching their intended targets. For the final stretch of the game, Tufts - unable to penetrate the Bowdoin-filled 18-yard box - was left to fire shots from 20-plus yards out, doing little to challenge McCarthy.12
The co-ed and womens sailing teams competed in seven events collectively over the weekend. The most prestigious event for the co-ed team was the Sherman Hoyt Trophy held at Brown University, while the Stu Nelson Trophy at Conn. College was the headliner for the womens team.
In golf, the margin between victory and defeat can be as slim as the difference between a par and a bogey. Consistency is the elusive characteristic that every golfer strives for, but few attain.
In golf, the margin between victory and defeat can be as slim as the difference between a par and a bogey. Consistency is the elusive characteristic that every golfer strives for, but few attain.
