MEDFORD, MA- The Williams field hockey team (4-6, 1-5 NESCAC) suffered a 6-0 loss against dominating Tufts University (9-2, 5-2 NESCAC) on Saturday, with Jumbos' junior Lia Sagerman and senior co-captain Lindsay Griffith netting two goals each.
Tufts took a fairly quick lead in the first half, with an unassisted first goal taken on a rebound by Sagerman just 5:29 into the game. Griffith made her first successful bid for goal of the day at 14:16, tipping in a penalty corner shot by junior Rachel Gerbhardt. Tufts' next two points came in on penalty corners as well, with Gerbhardt scoring at 16:38 on a pass from rookie Maggie Chapman, and senior co-captain Taylor Dyer netting another goal at 27:12 with an assist by junior Kelsey Perkins. Sagerman finished off Tufts' streak at 28:14 with her second goal of the game, assisted by Griffith.
Despite Tufts' nineteen shots on goal in the first half to Williams' two, the Ephs fought back hard in the second part of the game, earning ten shots to the Jumbos' seven. Williams was also able to gain ground against Tufts' significant lead in penalty corners: the Ephs had fallen behind ten-nothing in the first half, but surpassed Tufts in the second, 6-4. Sophomore offensive powerhouse Emily Jablonski (Madison, CT), lead the Ephs with three shots on goal for the game. Two yellow cards were assigned during the second half, as play grew more intense.
A persistent defense kept the strong Tufts offensive lineup at bay for much of the second half, until Griffith tipped in another Gerbhardt shot on a penalty corner, 57:14 into the game.
Ephs sophomore goalkeeper Ariana Spiliotes (Bethesda, MD) fought bravely despite Tufts' strong offensive line, stopping eight goals in the Williams net. Tufts goalkeeper, senior Marianna Zak, saved four goals in the second half. Both goalies played all seventy minutes of the game.
"Tufts is the most dominant team we've faced all season," says Ephs head coach Alix Barrale. "They scored five goals off of penalty corners, which really hurt us. We had some chances in the second half to get on the board, but missed the cage."
The Ephs hope to bounce back tomorrow against Connecticut College, where they will be the Camels' guests at noon.
