Medford, Mass. – A goal at 38:56 from Tufts' Claire Gavin opened the scoring and proved to be the only goal on the day and propelled Tufts (1-0, 1-0 NESCAC ) past Williams (2-1, 0-1 NESCAC) in a hard-fought defensive battle. Tufts entered the season ranked fourth in the Penn/Monto/NFHCA preseason poll, while the Ephs were tied for 10
th in the poll.
The deciding goal came off a somewhat broken play as a careening deflection on a shot from Gavin flew over the outstretched body of Williams netminder,
Carson Stephenson, and into the back of the net.
Stephenson was the highlight of the first half as her five saves, including four in the second period alone, held the stampeding Jumbos scoreless. The Eph goalkeeper would end the day saving six of seven shots in the contest.
In the opposing goal, time was split between two goaltenders, with Andie Stallman getting the start. Stallman did not see a shot in the opening two periods, with her counterpart, Sam Gibby, registering all 3 saves over the final two periods. The two keepers were a part of an impressive backline that held scoreless a hot Eph offense that had netted 12 goals in their first two games.
Equally as strong was the Williams defense that has now only conceded two goals in 180 minutes. The impressive start has been a team effort, as mentioned by coach Barrale who said, "Tufts is always a strong opponent, very skilled in transition, and also very disciplined in the defensive circle. Where we struggled was in our offensive 25. We did not create opportunities, rather we tried to go through the defense. We need to work on possessing the ball while entering the critical scoring area." Coach Barrale went on to express her excitement for the their next contest, exclaiming that there is, "so much to build on…we are a young team with loads of potential. Tufts is a good measuring stick for where we are on the national level. Our goal is to have this game make us better."
The Ephs will look to bounce back at home Tuesday, September 14
th, against the Smith College Pioneers in a 7:00 PM contest on Williamson Field.
