Although endless winds and rain battered Zimman Field Saturday afternoon, the football team's storm on the field served as the focus for the Homecoming game. The Jumbos, powered by 365 yards of total offense and a lockdown defense, steamrolled Bates by a final score of 34-7.
The Homecoming rains weighed heavy on the visiting Bobcats Saturday as the women's soccer team took down Bates 2-0 at Bello Field. Freshman Jamie Love-Nichols and sophomore Sarah Nolet scored one goal apiece to lead their team to the key NESCAC victory.
It was business as usual for the field hockey team Homecoming Saturday as the Jumbos continued their perfect season by capitalizing on open looks to overcome the Bates Bobcats 4-2 on Bello Field.
The men's soccer team's hot start was brought to a simmer Saturday as the Jumbos lost 2-0 to the Bates Bobcats on a rain-soaked Bello Field. The loss dropped Tufts' record to a sub-.500 1-2-0 in the conference (4-2-1 overall) and gave Bates its first NESCAC victory this season, raising its record to a matching 1-2-0 (3-2-0 overall).
Tomorrow's Homecoming game is not exactly a marquee match-up for the football team.
For the past three years the men's tennis team has taken the court against the Salve Regina Seahawks in the first dual match of the fall season, offering a preliminary assessment of the squad's play before heading to the more important spring portion of the season.
5 The number of undefeated Jumbo varsity teams so far this fall. They are field hockey (5-0), football (1-0), women's soccer (3-0), volleyball (9-0) and men's tennis (1-0).
As the men's soccer team prepares for its game against Bates tomorrow, the players would be wise to take a look at recent history for an example of what not to do on Homecoming Day.
The field hockey team has been unstoppable this season, outscoring its opponents 29-3. This Homecoming weekend, in front of a large crowd of Tufts students, alumni and fans, the Jumbos, who are 3-0 in the conference and a perfect 5-0 overall, will look to extend their winning streak even further with a victory over Bates tomorrow.
This weekend, the women's soccer team is going from one rivalry to the next.
In what will likely be labeled one of the most noteworthy games of its season, the women's soccer team ventured into the Lyons' lair in Norton, Mass. on Wednesday to take on nationally-ranked No. 8 Wheaton College. And after a 90-minute battle, the Jumbos emerged with another victory tacked to their undefeated record.
At the beginning of its fall season last year, the women's tennis team had to fill the holes in its lineup left by four graduated seniors. By the spring, the Jumbos were down to seven players after still more turnover on their roster. But as it prepares to kick off its 2008 season today, Tufts finally has something it missed all of last year: a little stability.
Consistency is boring. Where there's no risk, there's no fun. It's why girls love leather jackets and motorcycles. It's why Seth Cohen never got any ladies. It's why some of the sports world's greatest players go underappreciated.
For its own sake, the Bates Bobcats had best know what awaits them when they arrive at Tufts tomorrow.
The sailing team just couldn't find its rhythm during the weekend's Hatch Brown Intersectional on the Charles River.
Tomorrow night, as the Athletics Department officially launches Homecoming festivities with its Annual Awards Ceremony, Tufts alum and three-time USA national champion runner Jennifer Toomey (LA '94) will find herself the recipient, not of a gold medal or another national title, but instead the Tufts University 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award.
The undefeated volleyball team faced its toughest challenge yet on Tuesday night but ultimately prevailed with a 3-1 victory over the Brandeis Judges in Cousens Gym. With the win, Tufts improved to 9-0 and handed the visiting Judges their second loss of the season.
For the first time since 2005, Tufts derailed the regional powerhouse Wheaton Lyons, ranked second in the region, yesterday afternoon by a score of 2-0.
For two AFC powerhouses, the adage that history repeats itself came true in the worst of ways during Week 3, as the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts both fell victim to the silent assassination of cyclical events. Meanwhile, a defiance of the past has allowed several teams, including the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys, to cement themselves among the league's best. Since Dec. 10, 2006, the lowly Miami Dolphins had posted just one victory, an overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2007 and had lost 11 straight contests on the road. The Patriots, on the other hand, had not lost in 21 straight regular season games, an NFL-record. Sunday's contest changed all of that. New England, in its second game with lifelong backup QB Matt Cassel at the helm, was beaten, bruised and embarrassed at home Sunday by Miami, 38-13. To add insult to injury, Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter backed up his boisterous statement — that beating the Patriots "shouldn't be that hard" — by leading the defense with three sacks en route to a total shutdown of 2007's most productive offense. Ronnie Brown, fresh off a season-ending ACL tear, did everything shy of kicking the extra point for the Dolphin offense, exploding for a quartet of touchdowns on the ground to go along with 113 yards. The running back, who led the NFL in rushing yards before he got hurt last season, also tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass left-handed. So how did the Dolphins manage to slay the beast? The answer was found in a dash of creative coaching coupled with, yes, history. Brown's toss was just the amuse bouche to the smorgasbord of trickery designed by first-year coach Tony Sparano, who simply out-coached Bill Belichick, something almost unheard of in the ranks of NFL leaders. The Patriots had no answer for Sparano's brilliant offensive game plan, as six direct snaps led to four touchdowns for the Dolphins, the last of which was a 62-yard scamper by Brown. While Miami was clearly the superior team at Foxborough Stadium, one has to think that New England was destined to fall to the Dolphins. Before Sunday, the Patriots last lost during the regular season to the Dolphins in that game in December of 2006. Indianapolis, likewise, succumbed to a repetition of circumstance. In 2004, Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee's game-winner produced the Jags' only win at Indianapolis in the past four years. On Sunday, Scobee repeated his feat, booting a 53-yarder as time expired to send his team to a 23-21 victory. The reigning AFC South champion Colts now sit at 1-2 and have dropped both contests at home this season. Quarterback Peyton Manning has been downright awful thus far, posting a QB rating of 73.1 through the first three contests. The last time Manning's rating dipped below 80 was during his rookie campaign, and his pace for a mere 16 touchdown passes is well below his career average. Manning, arguably the smartest quarterback in the NFL, will certainly turn things around. But with a banged-up offensive line missing its All-Pro center Jeff Saturday, the crippled Colts are in jeopardy of missing out on the AFC South title for the first time since 2003. With two of the supposedly strongest AFC teams losing in Week 3, other squads such as the Buffalo Bills saw an opportunity to reposition themselves atop their respective divisions. The eternally mediocre Bills escaped with a one-point win Sunday over the Oakland Raiders, 24-23, and for the first time since 1992 they are undefeated at this point in the season. With the Colts and the Patriots in a slide, Buffalo has positioned itself as one of only three 3-0 teams in the entire AFC, along with the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans. QB Trent Edwards has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks this season, ranking fifth in completion percentage and sporting a QB rating over 90. More impressive, the Bills have been down in the fourth quarter each of the past two weeks, and each time Edwards has rallied his squad to victory. With a young roster — Buffalo has the sixth youngest team in the league — and an exciting running back in Marshawn Lynch, the Bills seem poised to rewrite history and put a team from New York state atop the AFC East for a change. Across the United States, the Dallas Cowboys moved to 3-0 following a 27-16 win over the Green Bay Packers — their first at Lambeau Field in six tries. Dallas looks like far and away the strongest team in the league, led by the efficient play of quarterback Tony Romo, who notched 260 yards passing and one touchdown Sunday, and RB Marion Barber, who hustled for 142 rushing yards and one score the same game. But if the Cowboys intend to bring a Super Bowl title back to the Lone Star State, they will not do it solely on the shoulders of their offensive stars but rather with the help of their deep bench, as exhibited against Green Bay. When the Packers shut down wideout Terrell Owens, Romo turned to undrafted receiver Miles Austin, a return specialist, who hauled in two catches for 115 yards and a score. If history decides to turn full circle and repeat itself once again, the always dangerous Patriots will be the ones still playing in January. It is never smart to doubt Belichick's ability to inspire his players, as his oft-used "No one respects us" tactic has never been more appropriate than now. New England was thoroughly humiliated on its home turf. But the loss should serve as ample motivation for a Patriot return to the postseason.
