Box Score 
MEDFORD - The Tufts University field hockey team survived an NCAA Tournament first-round scare by earning a 1-0 victory over Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday night at Ounjian Field.
Jumbo senior Gillian Roeca scored late to lift Tufts (14-4) into the second round. The Jumbos will travel to Middlebury College and play against SUNY New Paltz on Saturday. Johnson & Wales finishes its season with a 17-4 record.
Tufts out-shot the Wildcats 22-2 and had a 12-0 advantage in corners, but with three minutes left until seven-on-seven overtime it was a 0-0 game.
Then on Tufts' final corner of the game, Melissa Manzello inserted to Beth Krikorian at the top of the circle. She passed to Reegan McCluskey on the right side who fed Roeca in front of the goal. With her back to the cage while receiving the pass, Roeca turned and fired a shot inside the right post for the only goal of the game with 2:57 on the fourth-quarter clock.
Tufts had almost scored one minute into the action when Roeca tipped a pass by Rachel Scrivanich, but JWU's Haley Budenas made a defensive save. The Jumbos swarmed the Wildcat cage in the first 15 minutes, including posts hit by Roeca and Kylie Rosenquest. JWU goalie Madison Flaxington also made six saves in the frame and the Jumbos were kept at bay despite nine shots.
Johnson & Wales never put together a true scoring threat, and their only two shots of the game came in the first quarter. Tufts starting goalie Andie Stallman saved a shot by Izzy Ward that was the Wildcats' only shot on goal all night.
Still, the visiting Wildcats were able to even the play and held Tufts to three shots on net and two corners in the second and third quarters combined sending the game to the fourth tied 0-0. Then in the fourth, the visitors withstood a pair of green cards 11 seconds part.
However, the Jumbos would earn three corners within a two-minute span late in the period and finally converted for the game-winning goal.
Tufts was playing without several key players to due illness (non-COVID) and got all they could handle from JWU. Flaxington finished with 11 saves for the Wildcats.
