CLINTON, N.Y. -
Elsi Aires' second-half goal was the highlight of the day for the Tufts Jumbos, as they tied NESCAC rival Hamilton College 1-1 in a thrilling women's soccer in-conference battle early on Saturday.
The goal was set up after a Hamilton foul in the 67th minute. The foul set up a free kick for
Caroline O'Neill, which was essentially a corner kick, coming from the lower right corner. O'Neill sent a beautiful ball right in front of the net, between Tufts forwards
Casey Lam and Aires, who was able to deflect the cross perfectly, and sent the ball into the lower right corner for the first goal of her career.
The first half had been filled with only a few real scoring chances, several of which were set up by Jumbo forwards
Claire Wilkinson and
Erin Duncan after they checked into the game 23 minutes into the action. Perhaps the best Tufts scoring chance of the first half was set up when Wilkinson sent a ball into the box that deflected off the crossbar, and bounced back down for a Jumbo follow-up opportunity on the loose ball. However, Hamilton goalkeeper Nieve Tonna was able to cover it up and thwart the threat.
Tonna was brilliant on the day for the Continentals, as she wrapped up a total of 13 saves in 14 shots on goal. The most notable save came in the final minute of the game, when Tufts'
Nicola Sommers launched one on net after a flurry of slick foot moves. Tonna was unfazed by the pressure situation, as she tracked the would-be game-winning shot perfectly and saved the day for the Continentals.
Caroline Dawson was the lone goal scorer in the game for the Continentals. The goal was her second of the season, and came in the 12th minute after she was able to blow by the Tufts defense on a break-away. She sent the shot past Tufts goalkeeper
Kaelin Logue in the lower right corner to give Hamilton a lead that would last until the middle of the second half.
The Jumbos once again ran out their tandem goalkeepers, but this time it was Logue who started the game and Haley Bernstein who came in for the second half, a reverse of their normal strategy. Logue made two saves in three shots faced in the first half, and Bernstein didn't even have a shot on goal to save, as the Tufts defense was brilliant in the second half.
Tufts led the game in shots (27-13), corner kicks (8-3), and shots on goal (14-3). They also committed more fouls than Hamilton, as they made 14 as opposed to Hamilton's eight.
The 4-1-1 Jumbos (3-1-1 NESCAC) play next on Tuesday at #18 MIT, and the 3-1-2, 1-1-2 Continentals play again tomorrow at home for another in-conference game versus Wesleyan.
Written by Lucas Wlodarczyk, Athletic Communications Intern.
