Box Score
MEDFORD - Tufts scored twice within four minutes in the second half to take a 2-0 victory against Wesleyan in the NESCAC Field Hockey Championship quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Bello Field. The victory is the 14th in a row for the Jumbos.
With the win, Tufts (14-1) advances to the semi-final round of the conference tournament to be played next weekend (Nov. 3-4) at Middlebury College. They will face Bowdoin in the semis, while the host Panthers will play Amherst in the other semi-final.
Wesleyan had the momentum earlier in the second half prior to Tufts' first goal on Saturday. Jumbo sophomore keeper Brianna Keenan (Greenland, NH) made good saves against Cardinals Blair Ingraham (Northport, NY), Mackey Hemphill (Gill, MA), and Ashley McLaren (Essex Junction, VT) within five minutes of each other to keep the score at 0-0.
The Jumbos were able to break the stalemate with 10:52 on the clock when junior Chelsea Yogerst (San Diego, CA) took a short feed from sophomore Maggie Chapman (St. Louis, MO) and drove her team-high 10th goal of the season into the far side of the cage.
Tufts would increase its lead to 2-0 with its next shot. Senior co-captain Lia Sagerman (LaJolla, CA) hit a laser across the field from righ to left that was lifted into the goal by classmate Kelsey Perkins (Barrington, RI) with 7:33 remaining.
Neither team had a shot from that point on.
Though Tufts had more possession in the first half, Wesleyan did a good job defensively to limit their scoring chances. When the Jumbos were able to get shots on goal, senior co-captain Tori Redding (Branford, CT) made the saves. Her biggest two of the opening half came on back-to-back shots after a corner by Tufts juniors Stephanie Wan (Morgan Hill, CA) and Emily Cannon (Atkinson, NH).
The Jumbos had the best opportunity of the first half with 10 minutes remaining when senior Missy Karp (Berwyn, PA), at the right post, just missed tapping home a pass from senior co-captain Rachel Gerhardt (Worcester, MA).
Redding finished with six saves for Wesleyan, while Keenan made four while recording Tufts' sixth shutout of the season. Tufts finished with advantages of 11-6 in shots and 10-1 in corners. Seven cards (four yellow, three greens) were whistled in the competitive game.
Wesleyan's season ended with a 7-8 mark.
Game statistics
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