Box Score
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Emily Cannon scored the goal that gave Tufts the lead for good
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Game recap courtesy of Williams College
WILLIAMSTOWN – In a NESCAC matchup, the third-ranked Tufts field hockey team got a goal and an assist from sophomores Dakota Sikes-Keilp and Alexandra Jamison to earn a 3-2 victory at Williams.
The Jumbos (11-1, 71) led 3-1 before Williams (4-8, 2-6 NESCAC) added a later buzzer-beater goal by senior captain Emily Jablonski.
For the first 10 minutes of play, Tufts was able to possess the ball in Williams' defensive end with Williams taking a few turns on attack as well. The two teams remained deadlocked for this 10-minute period although Tufts was able to draw some dangerous penalty corners.
Their offensive pressure paid off at the 12:13 mark when one of those penalty corners culminated in a goal. A shot from outside of the arc connected with the back of the net before touching anyone else in the circle, so when it rebounded back into the arc, Tufts was able to pounce on the opportunity to score. Jamison pushed the ball past Eph goaltender Ariana Spiliotes to give Tufts the lead.
Williams fought back, moving the ball quickly up the field to take their turn on offense. The ball would shift throughout the midfield for the next few minutes of play, but Williams would take control to make a drive to goal. At the 14:52 mark, Caitlin Conlon utilized a pass from teammate Jablonski to sneak the ball by Tufts goalie Bri Keenan.
With the score tied at one, Tufts looked to regain the lead. They would find success again at the 24:14 mark when Emily Cannon scored off of an assist by Sikes-Keilp in the center of the arc. With the score at 2-1, the second half closed out before Tufts could capitalize on a last minute push to goal.
The second half started off in Tufts' favor, as Spiliotes made a great kick save to keep the score at 2-1 at the 38:00 mark. The second half would exhibit a lot of back-and-forth play, with both teams taking seven shots on cage. Neither team would capitalize on these chances, however, until Tufts scored at the 51:29 mark to extend their lead to two goals. Sikes-Keilp would score her own goal here, scoring off of a textbook penalty corner.
Williams would have their fair share of opportunities in the second half, making strong runs on net with quick passes. They would remain scoreless for most of the second half despite their offensive pressure, missing a few long balls. They kept up this pressure, however, and drew a corner with less than a minute left. Calling a timeout, Williams tried to turn the momentum in their favor. Although this penalty corner would prove unsuccessful, they would draw another. This time, the corner ended in a buzzer-beater goal by Jablonski to end the game at 3-2 in Tufts' favor.
Spiliotes would finish with three saves on the day while Keenan would finish with one.
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