The Tufts women's soccer team was involved in another close conference game on Saturday — but this time it came out on the winning side.
People always say that winning isn't easy. But they probably have never seen the Tufts volleyball team play.
The field hockey team didn't look quite as perfect as its record in its contest over the weekend.
After opening the season with a three-game losing streak, the Tufts men's soccer team entered this week desperate to pick up at least one win with two away games at Springfield College and Wesleyan. But while the Jumbos snapped their skid with a 1-1 tie against the Pride on Wednesday, they went right back to losing in a 2-0 game with the Cardinals on Saturday.
Jesse Faller, Men's Cross Country - Faller was the cream of the crop at the Conn. College Invitational on Saturday, finishing first out of 214 runners. Faller's time of 25:17 for the 8K race was three seconds faster than Div. II Southern Connecticut's Joseph Poulsen's and led the Jumbos to a first-place finish at the meet. The win was the second of Faller's career, with the first coming in the Codfish Bowl on the same weekend a year ago.
Heading into the 2009 season, the Tufts football team knew it was going to have to find a way to replace last year's offensive stars. But a 7-3 loss against the Wesleyan Cardinals showed that rebuilding the Jumbos' offensive unit might take some time.
The English Premier League has long been dominated by the established powers of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, the so-called "Big Four" of English football. But this Premier League season could signal the end of their dominance, with the rise of the other team from "Cottonopolis:" Manchester City. Long derided as the "small team" of Manchester and cast in the shadow of their giant neighbors, Manchester City's new owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group, have pushed the squad to new heights. For a club that only 10 years ago spent a season in the English league's third tier, the new wealth that has been brougth by City's owners has firmly entrenched it as a team to be reckoned with. Manchester City first raised eyebrows by breaking the British transfer record to sign Brazilian star Robinho for £32.5 million ($52.7 million), outbidding Chelsea, which thought it was assured of his signing. This summer, City continued the trend, snapping up star players for large sums at the same that time other clubs have been scaling back their transfer budgets due to the global recession. This has led many soccer experts to call out Manchester City for inflating the transfer market and driving up the prices and wage demands of players. During the summer, City and the Abu Dhabi United Group signed Arsenal's star forward Emmanuel Adebayor and defender Kolo Toure, Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry, Blackburn Rovers' striker Roque Santa Cruz and Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez. In the process, the private equity firm from the United Arab Emirates spent over £100 million ($162 million). But it was the capture of Tevez that generated the most headlines. Tevez decided to sign with City after negotiations with Manchester United fell through, and his signature led to a war of words between the two Manchester clubs. The argument culminated in legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's derision of City as a "small club with a small mentality." While Ferguson did say in a later interview that he would be "foolish to ignore developments at [City's stadium] Eastlands," most soccer analysts believe that City has the resources and the cash to mount a serious title challenge, a worrying prospect for the entrenched Big Four. City's new players have already made a world of difference for the club, which won its first four games, including a 4-2 victory against Arsenal. The team finally fell for the first time this weekend to Manchester United, but by a very respectable 4-3 score. It remains to be seen if City can continue its fast start, but wealthy owners with cash to spend have turned other perennial underachievers into champions. Chelsea had not won a Premier League crown in 50 years before its takeover by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. But with the massive spending that occurred after the takeover, Chelsea purchased players that have now become household names to any soccer fan, including Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Michael Ballack. It is possible that Manchester City might follow the same path, but if it does crack the Big Four of the English Premier League, it will be at the expense of one of the Big Four's most storied clubs. And what the other teams will lose is a place in the Champion's League, soccer's annual competition to crown the best club in Europe, which also happens to be the most prestigious trophy in the game for club teams. Manchester City currently is in that coveted No. 4 spot, but it is still early, as it has played in just five Premier League games. The odd team out, for now, is Arsenal, which sits in seventh place thanks to a slow start that featured two losses in its first five games. If City can maintain its footing in the Premier League race, the prospect of playing at the highest level in European football should be one more reason that some of the top players in the world will want to come to Eastlands.
The Tufts field hockey team routed the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs, stepping off Bello Field Wednesday with its undefeated record intact — and recording its second shutout in a row with a 4-0 win, its greatest margin of victory in the still-young season. Going head-to-head with their unranked non-conference foe, the nationally ranked No. 3 Jumbos faced little difficulty in dismantling a lackluster offensive team. The Corsairs, who have gone 1-3 on the road this season, were seemingly easy pickings for the undefeated Tufts squad. Capitalizing on the Corsairs' unfamiliarity with playing on artificial turf, the Jumbos immediately took control of the pace of play while UMass Dartmouth scrambled to adjust to the field. "UMass played their last three games on grass, and this was their first time in a while playing on turf," junior midfielder Tamara Brown said. "We took advantage of that, and we controlled the pace of the game and made plays inside the circle which all contributed to the shutout." With much of the first half played deep inside Corsair territory, the Tufts offensive unit fired off an impressive 24 shots, more than its total number of first-half shots in matches against Middlebury and Amherst combined. While the Jumbo offense didn't cash in on every subsequent shot opportunity, it didn't take long for Brown to put Tufts on the board, scoring on the first shot of the game just over a minute into play off of a feed from senior co-captain Amanda Russo. Accounting for roughly a quarter of Tufts' shots by the final whistle, Brown notched a second goal 25 minutes later with help coming from Russo once again. Thanks to the two scoring drives, Brown ascended to second in program history with 80 career points. Though acknowledging the gravity of the distinction, Brown remains team-oriented in viewing her individual success. "It's cool, but I care much more about the team," said Brown, who set Tufts' single-season scoring record last year. "Without the team, I wouldn't be here. As long as we're winning and all playing our best, I'm happy, and the individual accomplishments become secondary." By controlling possession for the remainder of the match, the Tufts squad was able to showcase its breadth of talent, ranging from first-year forwards to its veteran offensive playmakers. With minutes remaining in the first half, Brown connected with junior Melissa Burke to mark her first goal of the season. Following several substitutions, freshman forward Kerry Eaton scored on a solo effort to put the Corsairs on ice with less than three minutes left in regulation. The goal represents the first of the season from the freshman class. "Our offensive line clicked today," senior co-captain Margi Scholtes said. "Our passes connected and communication was open across the field. We had scorers from across the lineup, which reflects our depth and what we are capable of doing on the field." In all, Tufts outshot UMass by a margin of 42-6. The Jumbos may have led by a wider margin if it were not for the disciplined UMass senior goalie Seana Golden, who fended off the Tufts offense with 17 saves on the day. Despite earning a shutout victory, the Jumbos acknowledge that there is always room for improvement. "The pattern we're seeing over the last four games is that we are getting a lot of shots on goal, but they're not ending in goals," Brown explained. "This problem lies in being able to connect with other players, but hopefully that will come with time and practice. "UMass' goalie was really good," she continued. "Even though not all our shots ended in goals, it's great that we have a strong enough offense to be able to have that many shots in the first place, and it's something we can improve on over the course of the season." Behind the successful offense was an equally tenacious defense. Led by sophomore keeper Marianna Zak in the first half and junior goalie Katie Hyder in the second, the Tufts squad limited the Corsairs' offensive options, holding them to two shots on goal. In all, Zak and Hyder made a save apiece, with Hyder making her first appearance of the season in the net. "UMass Dartmouth had really good players individually," Scholtes said. "They like to play long balls, so we had to adjust defensively, shifting our line back 10 to 15 yards to make sure we didn't let them get behind us. They were relentless, so we had to be alert; they never backed down." Holding the Corsairs to just two penalty corners on the day, a season best, the Jumbos contained UMass' scoring opportunities from inside the circle. For a team that has seen games decided on penalty corners in past seasons, the Jumbos know the importance of keeping their opponents at bay by playing a clean game. "Defensively, we were really strong, and we allowed just a few defensive corners against us," Scholtes said. "We've focused on that a lot this season, limiting defensive corner opportunities for our opponents, because those corners can lead to goals. Basically, our defenders made sure to keep the ball on their stick so that UMass' defense would have to start hacking for the ball, in which case a foul would be called against them." As just one of three conference teams ranked within the top 10 of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Coaches Poll — and the top-ranked among the pack — the Jumbos have distinguished themselves as a NESCAC front-runner this season. With a blend of non-conference and relatively weak NESCAC opponents ahead in the weeks to come, Tufts' schedule doesn't pose much of a threat to its record or ranking. Traveling to Middletown, Conn. on Saturday to cross sticks with the 1-2 Wesleyan Cardinals, the Jumbos hold a number of advantages. Most notably, in their 2008 season-opener against Wesleyan, the Jumbos recorded the most goals in a game in program history by clobbering the Cardinals 10-1. Nevertheless, the Tufts team is going into the match open-minded with just one expectation: Anything can happen. "Every game counts," Brown said. "Wesleyan may not be one of our biggest NESCAC opponents, but games are full of surprises. Our main focus is to build on what we've accomplished, but in doing so we have to keep an eye on the game we're playing so as not to get ahead of ourselves."
It seems pretty difficult to portray a guy who threw a sucker punch as the victim. University of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount is clearly not blameless in the fracas that ensued at the end of the Oregon-Boise State game three weeks ago, which opened the college football season on an undoubtedly sour, disconcerting note. Nevertheless, you've got to feel bad for a guy who had his whole season taken away from him for losing his cool for five seconds following a tough defeat. So, if I want to shift some blame away from Blount, then who's next in line? The first and obvious choice is Boise State defensive end Byron Hout, the recipient of Blount's blow. If you watch the video of the incident, you'll see that Hout, entirely unprovoked, came up from behind Blount, tapped him on the shoulder and hurled a few choice profanities at the Ducks' running back. Not to completely excuse Blount's reaction, but come on. You taunt a guy after a tough loss and there's a significant chance that he's going to take exception to your behavior and show some animosity in return. This leads directly into the second target for blame-shifting, the omnipresent evil that is "the media." By portraying Blount's swing as a sucker punch, the media completely condemned him in the eyes of the world. This is pretty far off from the reality of the situation, but once the impression was made, there was just no turning back. If you were to Google "LeGarrette Blount punch" immediately after the fact, the headline of the first result would have read "LeGarrette Blount Just Sucker Punched His Way Out of College Football." Perception is reality. Blount unfortunately now carries the weight of being That Football Player Who Sucker Punched Himself to His Grave. Ask Kermit Washington how that one feels. The media is also culpable in a more passive way. Blount chose basically the worst possible moment to throw his punch. It was the first night of the season, just after a game between two top-25 teams that was nationally televised on ESPN. Punching the Pope on Easter wouldn't have gotten him worse publicity. Let's face it, if this had been a Week Five game televised on Fox Sports West, like the majority of Oregon's games are, there would have been maybe a quarter of the uproar. The local papers would have treated it as a big story, but the general public probably would not have known about it or cared that much. Instead, ESPN.com, a full week after the punch, published a column by Gene Wojciechowski that referred to the incident as Blount having "used his gloved right fist as a numbing agent for Byron Hout's jaw" and a sign of the continued "punkification" of major college football. Cut the kid some slack. He lost his cool; his swing was symptomatic of nothing more than human emotion. We all get angry sometimes. Most of us just handle it a little bit better. Worsening Blount's situation was the fact that this was Oregon coach Chip Kelly's first game, and pressure was on him to make a ‘statement,' especially following an ugly loss. So he suspended Blount for the remainder of the season, effectively ending his college career. However, Kelly emphasized that Blount was still a member of the team — he's still listed on the roster on the team's official Web site — and that he would remain on scholarship for the rest of the year. Kelly seemed to understand what, sadly, few others did. Namely, that Blount is a good kid who made a mistake and was put through the ringer as a result of circumstance. What he did was far from permissible, but a three-to-six-week suspension would have fit the crime much better than ending the guy's collegiate career.
Just when it looked liked the men's soccer team would end its latest matchup with another loss, sophomore defender Stratos Saropoulos saved the day. In the double overtime, non-conference face-off against the Springfield Pride (2-4-1), the officials called it a night with the score knotted at one, helping Tufts improve its record to 0-3-1 on the year. It wasn't until 2:10 was left in regulation that Tufts notched the tying goal off of the foot of Saropoulos, who had controlled a header from senior forward Dan Schoening after a Pride miscue on the defense. The goal extended the game into overtime, in which neither team could convert on a series of solid opportunities. With one minute remaining in the first overtime period, Springfield freshman Cody Kaczetow almost ended Tufts' efforts with a blast that went just wide to the right. The Jumbos were undeterred, however, as sophomore midfielder Matt Blumenthal saw the two best chances to win the game in the second period of overtime. With seven minutes of play remaining, Blumenthal had a look at the goal from the top of the penalty box, but Springfield freshman midfielder David Chessen came up with arguably the biggest defensive stop of the match. Four minutes later, junior midfielder Ron Coleman sent the ball along the end line to Blumenthal who was again open, but Blumenthal's shot hit the crossbar in the final scoring opportunity of the game. The Pride had taken the lead in the 36th minute of play when they converted on a corner kick. Sophomore forward Eric Stalsburg headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net off a pass from junior midfielder Joe Baia. After going down 1-0, the Jumbos were determined not to let another close game slip through their fingers. Coming back with a newfound intensity in the second half, the Jumbos outshot the Pride 5-3 and started dictating the pace of play. Despite not being wholly satisfied with a draw, it was a step in the right direction for Tufts as it prepares to play Wesleyan, a weaker NESCAC team than its previous conference opponents. The team was also happy to welcome back senior tri-captain Bear Duker, who had been recovering from a meniscus tear. "It was nice having Bear back controlling the center of the midfield," Coleman said. "This was the first game we dominated both sides of the ball. Everything just clicked." On defense, Tufts' senior goalkeeper Pat Tonelli only had to make three saves on the day, as the Jumbos' back line showed a marked improvement from its play on Saturday versus Amherst. On the other side, eight different players took shots for Tufts and forced Springfield's freshman goalkeeper Chris Walton to make six saves. "We played with a lot more composure on offense today," Coleman said. "We're definitely proud of how we played." Although Tufts may have been composed, intensity was still high as four players received yellow cards in the game. Defensively, the Jumbos displayed their depth as they held strong despite losing starting junior defenseman Josh Molofsky to a knee injury in the first period of play, forcing junior defenseman Alex Hart to take control of the position. In the face of their fair share of injuries, the Jumbos remain confident as they look ahead to their weekend match in Middletown, Conn. The winless Tufts squad faces a 2-0-2 Wesleyan Cardinals unit that currently ranks seventh regionally and sits fourth in the NESCAC. The Cardinals' undefeated record includes a win over Springfield Wednesday, Sept 16. While the Jumbos may be an underdog based on their record, Wesleyan would be remiss to forget the 2-1 comeback loss they suffered against the Jumbos last year. "Our biggest advantage at this point is that we are surprising teams who have seen our first few results," Molofsky said. "We're flying under the radar." However, in 2008 the Cardinals outshot the Jumbos 12-7 and received 11 corner kicks compared to Tufts' three. Depth will be important as the Jumbos have played two double overtime games in the past week and a half. Meanwhile, Wesleyan's last match was on Sunday, so fatigue has the potential to be a factor. While an 0-2 conference record on the surface indicates a team in turmoil, the record holds little weight when Tufts' past opponents are taken into account. Playing against the NESCAC's strongest teams, Amherst and Middlebury, the Jumbos faced an uphill battle to begin their season. But Wesleyan, which finished with a 3-4-2 record last year, may give Tufts more scoring opportunities than it got against its two previous nationally-ranked conference opponents. "We got our hardest games out of the way," Molofsky said. "We're feeling no pressure right now. Hopefully we'll run the table with our next few NESCAC games."
Although it was only the second week of the 2009 NFL season, there was a playoff-like atmosphere in the Meadowlands on Sunday. All week long — and throughout the offseason — the New York Jets had taken shots at the once-fearsome New England Patriots. Upon his arrival in New York, first-year head coach Rex Ryan told the New York media, "I never came here to kiss Bill Belichick's, you know, rings." It's still a little early to draw any conclusions, but if anything can be gathered from the Jets' 16-9 victory against the Patriots on Sunday, it's that Ryan's "talk big, play big" coaching style is working.
Yesterday afternoon brought another test versus a top team in New England for the Tufts women's soccer team. But unlike the previous games, the Jumbos passed this one with flying colors, earning a 2-0 victory over the previously undefeated and nationally ranked No. 13 Wheaton Lyons (7-1).
For a moment, it appeared as though the Tufts volleyball team's six-game winning streak would come to an end. But good teams always find a way to win, and ultimately the Jumbos showed exactly why last year's success wasn't just a fluke.
Two weeks ago, the Minnesota Twins held a 69-69 record. They sat 6.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central division and were written off as a pretender in the ultra-competitive Junior Circuit. Then Ron Gardenhire's team lost its star first-baseman, Justin Morneau, owner of 30 home runs and a robust .878 OPS, to a season-ending back injury. The Twins' top-10 offense seemed all but certain to regress back the middle of the pack in the absence of its second-most potent hitter. Or so you'd think. Instead, the Twins went on a 7-1 roll after losing Morneau, including a series win against the Tigers that has helped propel them to within 2.5 games of the AL Central lead. Credit Michael Cuddyer, who has taken over at first base, for supplanting Morneau's production by delivering four home runs and 13 RBIs during those eight games. But this has been a theme for the Twins all season long; players have continuously stepped up when their teammates have gone down. And the players who have come up big have typically been ones whom fans outside of the Twin Cities have never heard of. Take a look, for instance, at the five members of Minnesota's current starting rotation. Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Brian Duensing, Jeff Manship and Carl Pavano — yes, that Carl Pavano. Francisco Liriano? Nope, he's been demoted to mop-up duty after performing erratically for most of the season. Kevin Slowey? No, he's recovering from surgery on his right wrist. Johan Santana? Oh wait, he was traded to the New York Mets two winters ago. There have been only two constants for the Twins this season. The first is closer Joe Nathan, who continues to be an elite ninth-inning stopper, arguably the most underrated in baseball. Nathan has allowed a paltry 39 hits in 61 innings of work this year, walking 20 and whiffing a phenomenal 81. He has slammed the door on more than half of Minnesota's victories this season, converting 42 saves in 47 chances. The other is catcher Joe Mauer, who has been the best position player in baseball this season not named Albert Pujols — or perhaps even including the National League MVP favorite. The 26-year-old leads the league in batting average at .373, is atop the AL standings in on-base percentage at .442 and soars above his competition in slugging percentage at .608. A left-handed hitter, Mauer has been more effective against righties than southpaws, but even against lefties he owns an .896 OPS. His worst month came in July when he posted a .309/.377/.468 line that incredibly ranked as a disappointment for the former No. 1 overall pick. Born and raised in St. Paul, Mauer grew up in the Twins' backyard and was living the dream when he was selected by his hometown squad in the 2001 draft, offering him the rare opportunity to continue playing baseball in front of the fans with whom he grew up. Perhaps it's fitting, then, that Mauer is now the leader of a team that is more reliant on homegrown talent than any other in the league. Though other Twins players, like outfielders Denard Span and Jason Kubel, are hitting around the .300 mark and have carried their weight, there is no doubt that Mauer is the most important player on his team. No matter what the standings-influenced voters ultimately decide, Joe Mauer — not New York's Derek Jeter or Mark Teixeira, not Boston's Kevin Youkilis, not Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, not Anaheim's Kendry Morales, not Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist — is the American League's Most Valuable Player. Mauer's had his eyes on the prize all season. No, not the MVP hardware or the league batting title — his ultimate reward would be the Twins' first playoff berth since 2006.
After two of its most productive players graduated last May, the football team knew that offense would raise a number of question marks come 2009. Will Forde (LA '09), last season's starting running back, put together the best season of his college career in 2008, recording 807 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 185 carries. Meanwhile, the Tufts passing attack was powered by wide receiver David Halas (LA '09), who set a new single-season program record with 11 touchdown receptions a year ago. Although Forde and Halas combined to score roughly three quarters of Tufts' offensive touchdowns last season, offensive coordinator Jay Civetti believes his unit has what it takes to fill the void created in their absence. "Not too much changes in this sport," he said. "You build on the success and legacy the guys in years past have left and you use the work ethic and commitment that those kids left here and cast it upon these young guys. "It's exciting to have new guys and to give people the opportunity to step up," he continued. "There is nothing better than opportunity, and to give a kid the tools to allow him to step up for that opportunity is part of the reason we love to coach." Among those who will be asked to replace Forde is senior running back Darren Ferguson, who will get the start in the backfield when Tufts opens its season Saturday against Wesleyan. In four games last season, Ferguson averaged 8.2 yards per carry. "Our offense works as a unit," Ferguson said. "Will was both a great teammate as well as a great back, and he certainly lefthe certainly left our group of running backs with a great model of what to do and how to do it. Hopefully, we as an offense can build on what he and our offense accomplished last year." The passing attack will also receive an overhaul, losing Halas and Steve Black (LA '09), who combined for nearly 1,000 yards through the air last season. In their absence, coach Bill Samko indicated he is willing to try a number of players in prominent roles. Among them are two pass-catching tight ends, senior Oliver Gray and sophomore Nick Croteau, as well as a slew of returning receivers. "[David] Halas and Steve Black were two excellent receivers, but we have some extremely talented guys to fill in for them," senior quarterback Tom McManama said. "Steve Cusano, Billy Mahler, Tim Puopolo and Greg Stewart have all shown great things in the preseason. I think our speed at wideout is going to be our greatest strength. We should have a very explosive offense." Civetti, Samko and the rest of the coaching staff had all summer to figure out how they would replace Forde and Halas, and they took comfort in the fact that they were returning the leader of their offense: starting quarterback and senior quad-captain Anthony Fucillo. All that changed the other night during the team's preseason scrimmage against Bowdoin when Fucillo went down with an ankle injury, marking the offense with yet another question mark. Fucillo's status is still up in the air for Saturday, and Samko has not yet made a decision on who will be behind center for the team's opener. But if Fucillo cannot go, the Jumbos will have to rely on McManama to lead their attack. As last year's backup, McManama managed to put together a very impressive performance in the second half of the week seven game against Colby when Fucillo was injured, completing six of his nine attempts and connecting with Halas on a game-clinching, 33-yard touchdown pass with 9:03 to play. "Although I only saw limited action last year, I definitely feel comfortable with the offense," McManama said. "I've been around our plays and schemes for the last four years and have practiced with everyone in our offense for just about as long." While Fucillo's injury might mean that Tufts will be without its passing, rushing and receiving leaders from a year ago, there are still high expectations for the squad's offense. "If everybody works at doing their job then we are going to be more than alright," Civetti said. "We have amazing kids in this program, and Coach Samko has done an excellent job of recruiting great talent."
Leon Modeste is old-fashioned. So old-fashioned, in fact, that when the 23-year Phillips Acadamy football coach attempted to find an accurate comparison for his former player, Tufts safety Tom Tassinari, the only name that came to mind was Gary Cooper, a film actor born in 1901 who was known for his emotionally restrained Western flicks. At the end of his movies, Cooper, a tall, lanky man, would stoically walk into the sunset, satisfied that he had saved the world one last time. Likewise, at the end of football games, Tassinari walks away quietly, seeking no pats on the back for an individual effort but rather content with the team win. Though this stoicism links the film legend and the football star, the similarities stop there. Cooper's film career ended in 1961. For Tassinari, his story begins on the fields of Andover, Mass. at age nine and continues through his years at Tufts. The last chapter in the "Book of Tassinari," however, has yet to be written. A senior quad-captain, Tassinari returns to the gridiron for one more season in what has already been one of the more prolific careers by a Jumbo safety in program history. He's been named First Team All-NESCAC for the past two years, and in 2008, he became the first Tufts player since 2005 to be selected to the New England Football Writers' All-New England team. Surely, that would be enough for most, but Tassinari is always hungry for more. For someone who was unsure about playing college football, he has certainly done well for himself. On July 28, Tassinari was named a D3football.com 2009 preseason All-American, the only defensive player from New England to make either the first or second team. The story of Tassinari can be traced back to Andover, where his mother was the treasurer for the in-town football league. While Tassinari began playing under his mom, he eventually worked his way up to Phillips-Andover. "He is just one of those kids who just kept coming and developing," Modeste said. "It's the whole package. He was just a monster his senior year … and never looked back. Tom was just great, one of those guys who just steps up." Modeste recalled one time in high school when Tassinari scored on the opening drive of a big game. While the entire sideline exploded in excitement, Tassinari, the "calmest person in the stadium," flipped the ball to the official, jogged back to the huddle and readied himself for the next defensive assignment. "Tom never said a word, but in the first minute of the game, he would stick somebody," Modeste said. "That's him in a nutshell. Tommy wasn't the guy who was all hyped up before the game. He just came out and did the right thing. He will cover the best guy or the worst guy, in zone or man."
Though tri-captains Julia Browne and Meghan McCooey have amassed quite a resume as doubles partners, coach Kate Bayard hasn't exactly committed to keeping the decorated duo together in the spring, when the women's tennis team will play the bulk of its dual-match schedule.
On Friday, the women's tennis team returned to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) New England Championships for the first time since its stellar showing at the event last season, which included a singles championship for then-sophomore Julia Browne and a runner-up finish in doubles. The Jumbos wrote a slightly different ending this time around, but they proved once again that few in the region can compete with the top of their lineup.
A powerful blend of strong returning players and talented new recruits turned out to be the proper formula for the men's tennis team, which opened its season on Saturday when it crushed Salve Regina, 9-0.
After a lackluster first day that landed the golf team in 13th place out of 16 teams at the weekend's Williams Invitational, the Jumbos stepped up and proved something to themselves on the second day of competition.
