Oct. 28, 2008
Medford, Mass. - Six different Jumbos scored goals, including a record-tying tally by sophomore Tamara Brown (Annandale, VA), as the Tufts field hockey team defeated Endicott College, 6-1, in non-conference play at Bello Field on Tuesday afternoon.
The Jumbos, who moved up to No. 4 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll on Tuesday, improved to 13-0 overall. The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Endicott (15-4), the first-place team in The Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Brown, the reigning NESCAC Player of the Week, scored the first Tufts goal 8:18 into the game. That gave her 18 for the season, tying the single-season mark set last year by Ileana Casellas-Katz. Brown would have many opportunities to break the record over the remainder of the game with 10 total shots, but did not score again.
Less than six minutes after Brown's goal, the Tufts lead was at 4-0. Junior Michelle Kelly (Downingtown, Pa.) scored 10:15 into the contest and freshman Lindsay Griffith (Wilmington, Del.) added another just 18 seconds later. Sophomore Melissa Burke (Walpole, Mass.) finished a stretch of four Tufts goals in 5:33 of play with her fifth tally of the year at the 21:09 mark of the first half. The Jumbos led 5-0 at halftime, with junior Amanda Russo (Garden City, N.Y.) scoring her 10th of the year with 7:33 remaining in the first half. Tufts had advantages of 13-0 in shots and 7-1 in penalty corners over the first 35 minutes of play.
Tufts sophomore Irene Lewnard (Westford, Mass.) scored early in the second half to make it 6-0 Jumbos.
Despite periods of pressure, Endicott did not have a shot until the final minute and they scored on it. Senior Samantha Bourgeois (Gardner, Mass.) sent a long cross-field pass that freshman Anna Giannoni (Granby, Conn.) collected and netted for her 18th goal of the season with 20 seconds on the clock.
Tufts finished with a 27-1 margin in shots and 14-3 in corners. Jumbo keeper Marianna Zak (Concord, Mass.) played the first half and earned her 12th win of the season without having to make a save. Gulls senior Chelsea DeFeo (York, Maine) made 13 saves at the other end. Senior Jennifer Beech (Devonshire, Bermuda) had a defensive save for Endicott.
The Jumbos play their biggest game of the season on Friday afternoon at \#1 in the nation and defending national champion Bowdoin. The winner will earn first place in NESCAC and the top seed in the conference tournament that starts on Sunday (Nov. 2). Endicott begins play in the TCCC tournament on Sunday as well.
