Box Score MEDFORD, MA (November 17, 2024) – Senior tri-captain
Kylie Rosenquest scored three minutes into overtime sending the Tufts University field hockey team on to the NCAA Final Four with a 2-1 victory over Bates College on Sunday in the Elite 8 at Ounjian Field.
Head coach
Tina Mattera's Jumbos advance to the Final Four for the sixth time, but first since 2018. Tufts will play NESCAC rival Williams College in the national semifinals in Lexington, Virginia on Friday at noon.
Tufts had taken a 1-0 lead today on a goal by senior tri-captain
Kayleigh McDonald 20 minutes into the action. They maintained that advantage until the fourth quarter, but Bates capitalized with just under eight minutes remaining in regulation to tie the score at 1-1 on a goal by junior Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg.
The game went into seven-on-seven overtime and during sustained Jumbo pressure in the Bates end, junior
Gabby Sousa sent the ball down to sophomore
Reagan Malo just inside the circle on the left side. With a defender on her, Malo turned and sent the ball to the front of the cage where Rosenquest was wide open to tap it in for the game-winning goal.
"I was so proud of how our team dug deep," said Tufts head coach
Tina Mattera, who coached the Jumbos to Final Fours previously in 2008, 2009, 2012 (when Tufts won the NCAA title), 2016 and 2018. "Bates is an excellent team and we knew they were going to give us all we could handle. It was really a battle from start to finish, and I'm just proud at how much the girls pushed each other out there."
NESCAC foes Tufts and Bates were playing for the third time this season with the Jumbos winning 2-1 during the regular-season and again in the NESCAC Championship Game 1-0 (3-2 shootout).
Tufts didn't get its first corner opportunity of the day until five minutes into the second quarter, but they scored on it. McDonald inserted out to senior
Lainie Pearson up top, and she fired a shot that McDonald tipped in at the left post.
Both defenses played well over the first 30 minutes as the Jumbos had just two shots on goal in the first half and Bates one.
Tufts nearly took a 2-0 lead on a corner with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. Pearson again put a shot on goal that had to be saved by Bates sophomore defender Haley Dwight.
With one minute remaining in the third, Tufts would return the favor with a defensive save by Sousa during a Bates corner attempt. The ball rolled to Bobcat sophomore Amy LaBelle open at the left post, but Sousa dove to make the stop and kept the ball out of the cage.
However, Bates would get its tying goal in the middle of the fourth quarter after earning back-to-back corners. On the insert by Moloney-Kolenberg, a shot towards goal by senior Maria Temia was tipped by senior Anna Cote back to Moloney-Kolenberg at the left post for the goal.
Tufts finished the game with a 13-6 shots advantage, while Bates led 6-5 in corners. Tufts junior goalie
Lydia Eastburn stopped two shots and Bates first-year Ava Donohue made three saves.
The Bobcats, coached by former Tufts assistant coach Dani Kogut, finished their season at 14-7.
The NCAA Final Four is being hosted by Washington & Lee University. Three NESCAC teams will be there, as Middlebury College will play Salisbury University in Friday's other semifinal at 3 PM. The NCAA Championship Game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 PM.
"It's a great feeling to go back to the Final Four," Mattera said. "We've been a resilient team, winning tight games by a goal and just believing in each other. I love this team because they're all solid players and if one person doesn't get the job done, the other will."
--JUMBOS--
