Three Tufts University players scored one goal and the nationally ranked No. 9 Jumbos held on for a 3-2 NESCAC win against the Hamilton College Continentals at Tufts' Bello Field on Oct. 25.
Box Score
The Jumbos (11-3, 6-3 NESCAC) are in fifth place in the conference standings with one game to go. Hamilton (6-8, 2-7) is tied for eighth place with Wesleyan University. The Continentals will clinch a spot in the 2014 NESCAC Championship with a win at home against Williams College on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and a loss by Wesleyan.
Brittany Norfleet '15 and Allison Rolfe '16 scored unassisted goals for Tufts, and Colleen Golja '15 converted a penalty stroke for the Jumbos. Bri Keenan '15 made seven saves. Tufts extended its win streak to three games with all three played at home.
Katherine Guzzetta '18 posted her first collegiate goal and was credited with one assist for Hamilton. Eva Rosencrans '17 also scored, Victoria Trentini '15 turned away 16 shots and Alyson Skelly '18 had one defensive save. Rosencrans' 17 goals and 36 points are the second-highest totals in a season in program history.
Norfleet opened the scoring with her career-high fifth goal of the season 5:16 into the first half. She dribbled into the scoring circle past a couple defenders and shot the ball into the back-left corner of the cage for a 1-0 advantage.
Skelly helped keep the lead to just one a little more than 15 minutes into the first half. She earned a defensive save by stopping a shot by Dakota Sikes-Keilp '16 during a series of shots the Jumbos were able to unleash.
Tufts gained the 2-0 lead on a penalty stroke with 19:40 remaining in the first half. Golja lifted her shot into the upper left corner of the cage for her second goal of the season. The score remained 2-0 at the half. The Jumbos outshot the Continentals 14-6 in the first frame, and earned four penalty corners to the visitor’s two.
The Continentals pulled within one with 18:23 left in the second half. Guzzetta took a shot that Keenan was able to save. The ball deflected off Keenan and back to the stick of Guzzetta, whose second chance got past Keenan.
About two minutes later the Jumbos moved their lead back to two with Rolfe scoring her first goal of the season. She was able to get the ball past Trentini after the ball deflected off the goalie following a save on a shot by Rachel Terveer '16.
The scoring didn't stop there. Hamilton added their second of the day off a penalty corner with 5:15 to go when Guzzetta passed the ball to Rosencrans. The Continentals pulled their goalie with about 90 seconds to play but were unable to score and Tufts held on.
The Jumbos enjoyed a 30-12 shot advantage, and were awarded 10 penalty corners to five for Hamilton.
