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Senior co-captain Taylor Dyer scored on a penalty stroke for Tufts
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MEDFORD - The #8 Tufts field hockey team scored two goals in the first eight minutes of the game and made it stand for a 2-0 victory against Wesleyan University in a NESCAC game at Bello Field on Saturday afternoon.
For the second straight game, Tufts scored early as they were awarded a penalty shot at 32:59 of the first half. Wesleyan junior goalie Tori Redding (Guilford, CT) covered up the ball amidst pressure in front of the Cardinal cage. Redding got a pad on Jumbo senior co-captain Taylor Dyer's (Windham, NH) stroke, but not enough and the ball went into the cage for a 1-0 Jumbo lead.
Five minutes later, Tufts earned a penalty corner opportunity and capitalized. Redding again put a pad on a shot by sophomore Emily Cannon (Atkinson, NH), but the ball went right to corner inserter Kelsey Perkins (Barrington, RI) alone in front of an open cage and the Jumbos jumped ahead 2-0 at 28:04 of the first.
Redding was solid all afternoon for Wesleyan, as Tufts out-shot the visitors 27-8 overall and 15-2 in shots on goal. She finished with 13 saves, including eight in the first half. Senior Marianna Zak (Concord, MA) needed to make two saves at the other end to record Tufts' second straight shutout.
Not long after Tufts' second goal, Wesleyan had a solid change on junior Ashley McLaren's shot off a corner insert. However, Zak came out to make the save. The Jumbos had two stellar chances later in the half on a corner. Junior Rachel Gerhardt's (Worcester, MA) shot was saved by Redding, and then senior co-captain Lindsay Griffith's (Wilmington, DE) rebound hit the post.
Outshot 16-4 in the first half, Wesleyan played a better second half and was especially effective on blocking Tufts' shots off corners. The Jumbos had 11 in the second half, but with no results. They finished with a 17-3 overall advantage.
Wesleyan's second shot on goal came on a corner after time had expired. Senior co-captain Morgan McCauley (Rye, NY) put a shot through that Zak saved to finish the game.
The win was the first in NESCAC play for Tufts (2-1, 1-1) after a tough loss on penalty strokes against Middlebury last Saturday. Tufts has won eight in a row over the Cardinals, dating back to 2006. Wesleyan dropped to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in NESCAC.
The Jumbos complete a four-game homestand to open 2011 when they host UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday at 5 pm. Wesleyan hosts Wellesley on Wednesday at 6:30 pm.
Game statistics
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