Jess Capone and Brooke Fortin scored two goals apiece for Tufts University as the Jumbos rallied for a 4-2 NESCAC win against the Hamilton College Continentals at Tufts' Kraft Field on Oct. 25.
Box Score
The Jumbos (7-5-2, 3-5-1 NESCAC) recorded their first conference win since Sept. 13. Tufts is tied with Trinity College for sixth place in the NESCAC standings with 10 points. The Jumbos travel to Bowdoin College on Tuesday, Oct. 28, for the regular season finale.
Hamilton (8-6-0, 3-6) is tied with Bates College for eighth place with nine points. Teams are awarded three points for a win and one for a tie. The Continentals host nationally ranked No. 9 Williams College on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for their last game of the regular season. Five teams are vying for the last three spots in the 2014 NESCAC Championship, including Hamilton and Tufts.
Carla Kruyff and Mariah Harvey-Brown were credited with one assist apiece for the Jumbos. Eileen McGarry made three saves.
Katie Kreider '18 and Darby Philbrick '18 scored the goals for the Continentals. Kreider is tied for the team lead with six. Becca Rees '16 and Rachel Hirsch '15 added one assist apiece. Rachel Cooley '18 made one save in 73-plus minutes and Emily Dumont '18 allowed one goal in the final 16:27.
The Continentals won two early corners that they almost converted into goals. A Rees corner kick landed on the head of Hannah Withiam '16 near the top of the 18 and she directed it at goal where Morgan Fletcher '17 was positioned. Fletcher tried to redirect the ball on net but it flew over the goal.
Minutes later, Withiam had another good look on goal, but McGarry stoned the attempt. The Hamilton barrage continued as Amanda Becker '18 and Ali Clarke '17 had two threatening chances on net but both shots went high.
The Jumbos broke out of their sluggish start in the 14th minute as Fortin worked hard for some space down the left flank and lofted a ball past the far post. Nikki Blank ran after it and was able to win a corner kick for the Jumbos. Kruyff's corner found Capone, who headed hard through the ball for the first goal of the game and her seventh this season.
In the 25th minute, Hamilton won a free kick near the low right side of the box. Rees took the kick and passed it on the ground into the 18 to a streaking Kreider, who sprinted from the top of the box and struck a hard shot into the back of the net.
Katja Dunlap '18 and Hirsch played a nice one-two combination on the left side and Hirsch passed across the top of the 6-yard box to Philbrick, who was left unmarked. She one-timed the pass inside the near post to give the Continentals a 2-1 lead in the 39th minute. Hamilton held that one-goal advantage at the half.
The Continentals created the first dangerous chance of the second half. Kreider sent a low cross to the far post but it skidded just wide before anyone could get a foot on it.
The Jumbos tied the score in the 63rd minute. Harvey-Brown was working hard deep in the right corner and was able to create enough space to get off a pass to a waiting Fortin, who headed it on goal. The close-range header bounced off Cooley and into the net. It was Harvey-Brown's seventh assist of the season. Just minutes later, Kreider had a great chance to take the lead back for Hamilton, but her shot was saved by McGarry.
In the 70th minute, Harvey-Brown made a fantastic run and was able to win a free kick on the right side of the top of the 18. Kruyff placed her kick towards the far post and it looked like it was going to bounce out-of-bounds but Alexa Pius reached the ball just before it went out and headed it back into play. It rolled to Fortin and she blasted a shot on net from just inside the 18. Cooley couldn't secure the ball, Capone ran onto it and gave Tufts a 3-2 lead with her seventh goal.
Hamilton had chances to tie the score again. Victoria Freeman '16 beat her defender deep in the right corner and dribbled along the end line. She passed inside to Kreider but her one-timer sailed high.
Tufts clinched the victory with one more goal in the 88th minute. Fortin found herself with the ball well outside the box on the left side. She caught Dumont off her line and floated a shot over her and into the net for her seventh goal.
Hamilton held a 13-7 shot advantage, and took eight corner kicks to Tufts' three. The Continentals lost for the first time this year when they held the lead at halftime.
