Though the women’s lacrosse team squared off against No. 6 Bowdoin at home on Wednesday, its fate would ultimately be decided in Vermont. The Jumbos fell to 7-7 and 3-7 in the conference in a 12-6 loss to the Polar Bears, but they snuck into the toughest Div. III conference tournament in the country, thanks to No. 3 Middlebury’s 16-5 win over Williams.
Senior co-captain attacker Kerry Eaton scored the first of her three goals to open the contest, but six ensuing unanswered Bowdoin goals proved too much for the Jumbos to overcome. Junior attacker Gabby Horner’s goal five minutes into the second half made it a 7-3 game, which was the closest Tufts could get to victory.
With the regular season in the books, the Jumbos now turn their attention to the undefeated No. 1 Trinity Bantams, who they will face in Hartford Saturday afternoon. Earlier in the season, the Jumbos fell to Trinity, 13-4, which gave them a taste of the talent they will face.
“It is extremely important for the attack to maintain possession for us to go far in the NESCAC tournament,” Eaton said. “[Against teams] like Trinity and [No. 12] Amherst, we can have really good transitions.”
In addition to Tufts’ first matchup against Trinity, the Jumbos’ 6-5 loss to Amherst will serve as a blueprint heading into the tournament, as Tufts dominated offensive possession for most of the game, taking pressure off of the defense and senior goalkeeper Tess Shapanka. The Jumbos are at their best when they slow the game down on offense and prevent their opponents from getting quick transition goals, something that has sometimes plagued them this season.
More importantly, a deciding factor going into Saturday’s game will be confidence. Coach Carol Rappoli’s players know they are talented enough to keep pace with the best teams in the country, so it will come down to the Jumbos trusting each other to bring home a win.
“We’ve showed that we are contenders,” junior midfielder Eliza Halmo said. “We need to make that type of play consistent, which I know we are capable of.”
Much of the pressure will be placed on players such as attackmen Eaton and Horner, while freshmen goal-scorers Brigid Bowser and Caroline Ross will have to step up in their first trip to the postseason as Jumbos.
On the other side of the field, the defense has its work cut out, as senior co-captain defender Meg Boland and classmate Collier Clegg will be responsible for stopping an offense led by Trinity’s All-American senior midfielder Megan Leonhard.
Clearly, an upset win for the Jumbos would be the highlight of a season filled with close, disappointing losses and unlucky breaks. Moreover, the next round would feature a matchup against either Amherst or No. 8 Colby, two other opponents that have taken down Tufts this season.
“In this league, any team has a chance of winning on any given day,” Horner said following a win against Conn. College on March 12.
Horner’s statement has been echoed throughout the season, and as the Jumbos prepare to face off against one of the toughest teams in the country, they hope to prove that statement true.
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