The defending national champion Jumbos, ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, picked up where they left off on Saturday, outshooting NESCAC rival Bates 27 to zero en route to a 1-0 win.
Three years ago, the eighth-seeded Bates Bobcats shocked the top-seeded Jumbos in a NESCAC quarterfinals penalty shootout after 110 minutes of scoreless play. Bates ended Tufts playoff run in a 3-2 shootout that has fueled a rivalry between the two schools ever since.
The women's soccer team hopes to make 2013 a turnaround year. A disappointing 2012 campaign saw the team go 2-6-2 in the NESCAC and 4-6-4 overall after starting 1-5-1. However, the team rebounded with a strong second half, losing only once in its final seven games. In the end, the first-half slide proved too much to overcome as the Jumbos finished 10th in the NESCAC and failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since the NESCAC adopted a postseason in 2000.
With only 13 seconds left in regulation during the No.17 womens lacrosse teams game Saturday on Bello Field, No. 10 Amhersts senior tri-captain attacker Marta Randall made a run down the field after a Tufts turnover to score the go-ahead goal that pushed the Lord Jeffs to a 6-5 victory over the Jumbos. Despite outshooting the Lord Jeffs 27-13 and controlling possession in the final minute, Tufts could not find the back of the net enough for the win and instead dropped to 6-5 overall and 2-5 in the NESCAC.
