MEDFORD – In a season-opening showdown between national
top 10 NESCAC programs, #4 Tufts took a 3-0 victory over #8
Middlebury in field hockey at Bello Field on Saturday
afternoon.
Senior Tamara Brown
(Annandale, VA), the all-time leading scorer in Tufts field hockey
history, led the way with two goals. The Jumbo defense was solid,
allowing just one Middlebury shot on goal. Tufts managed an 18-4
advantage in penalty corner opportunities.
After mostly neutral play for 25 minutes of the first half,
Tufts turned it on offensively in the last 10 minutes. Senior Melissa
Burke (Walpole, MA) scored the first goal of the season with
7:10 on the clock. Brown played the ball into the Middlebury
defense, then Burke used her long reach to whack a loose ball into
the cage for a 1-0 Jumbo lead.
Tufts maintained the momentum, earning three penalty corner
opportunities in the next few minutes. At the four-minute mark,
Brown – the Tufts program's all-time leading scorer,
stick-handled herself into a scoring opportunity and finished for a
2-0 Jumbo margin. That was the score at the half.
The visiting Panthers had momentum early in the second half.
Junior Heather Karpas (Greenwood Village, CO) fired an open shot
that Tufts junior Marianna Zak
(Concord, MA) kicked away. Shortly later, Panther Lauren Greer
(North Hampton, NH) had a break-in that Zak deterred by coming out
of the net and forcing a wide shot.
Tufts extended its lead to 3-0 when senior co-captain Jess Perkins
(Barrington, RI) hammered a ball in from the top of the circle that
Brown converted for her second of the game. Later on, Middlebury's
Madison Kahn (St. Louis, MO) made a defensive save on an arching
flip shot by Tufts junior Sarah Cannon
(Atkinson, NH) to prevent further damage.
Sophomore Madeline Brooks (Clayton, MO) finished with nine saves
in the Panther goal. The Jumbos ended the game with a 29-9 count in
shots.
The Jumbos are in non-league action at Babson on Tuesday (Sept.
14) at 6 pm. The Panthers play the Beavers before that, staying
overnight in Greater Boston for a game tomorrow at 1 pm.
Game Statistics
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