MEDFORD, MA (October 15, 2023) – Trailing 1-0 with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, the seventh-ranked Tufts University field hockey team stormed back to defeat #9 Williams College 2-1 in overtime on Seniors Day at Ounjian Field Sunday.
Senior
Rachel Scrivanich, one of six Jumbos honored in a pre-game ceremony, scored with 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 1-1. Then with 7:18 remaining in overtime, junior
Claire Gavin continued her red-hot scoring streak by tallying the game-winner unassisted.
The victory completes a huge weekend for the Jumbos (10-3, 7-1 NESCAC), who defeated #10 Bates College 2-0 at Ounjian Field on Saturday. Williams, who gave Tufts everything it could handle and more today, dropped to 7-4 and 4-2 in the league.
In the fourth quarter, with senior co-captain
Andrea DelGiudice on the sideline with a green card, Tufts failed to get a shot off on its seventh and final corner of the game. As the clock wound down under two minutes, DelGiudice returned and controlled an aerial clearing attempt by Williams on a bounce. She pushed the ball forward to senior
Ashley Zolin just outside the 23-meter line. Zolin zipped a reverse-sweep pass into the left side of the circle where sophomore
Hannah Biccard reached one-handed to make a spectacular play keeping the ball from going out of bounds. Biccard dished a short pass to junior
Mia D'Angelo whose reverse-chip shot towards the goal was deflected by Scrivanich past Williams keeper Gates Tenerowicz to tie the game.
Tufts then took the advantage in overtime, earning two early penalty corners. On the second corner, a shot by Gavin was saved by Tenerowicz and a follow-up from DelGiudice was wide. However, on the Williams clear DelGiudce stole the ball to gain possession back for the Jumbos. After an Ephs foul, Jumbo sophomore
Carly Iacullo sent a ball down to Gavin outside the left side of the circle. Gavin beat two Eph defenders to close in on Tenerowicz down low and blasted a shot that got through the goalie's pads for the game-winner. It was Gavin's fifth goal in the last five games.
Williams had taken a 1-0 lead with 2:33 remaining in the first half. On the right edge of the Tufts circle, Eph sophomore Natalia Nolan took a mishit by the Jumbos and quickly sent it towards the goal. The ball deflected off a Tufts defender's stick and junior Meaghan Boehm came across the goal mouth to knock it in.
The Ephs were able to hold the Jumbos scoreless through the third quarter, including a kick save by Tenerowicz on a shot by Tufts junior
Kylie Rosenquest on a corner opportunity. Then early in the fourth Tenerowicz was on the spot to save a DelGiudice shot on a corner. However, the Jumbos would find some magic late to continue their extraordinary 22-game winning streak over the Ephs that dates back to 2006.
Shots in today's game were even at 11-11, though Tufts received seven corners to three for the Ephs. Sophomore goalie Lyida Eastburn made four saves for Tufts, including three during a Williams corner late in the first quarter. Tenerowicz stopped six shots in the Williams cage.
Joining DelGiudice, Scrivanich and Zolin for Tufts' senior celebration were classmates
Kate Lee,
Caroline Mullen and
Lainie Pearson.
Tufts is off all week before traveling up to play #1 Middlebury College next Saturday.
--JUMBOS--
