While the loss to undefeated defending champion Trinity was all but inevitable before the game started, the Cardinals went into this game against middling NESCAC opponent Tufts viewing it as a potential win. The team’s optimism was not rewarded, however, as the Jumbos beat the Cardinals by a score of 14-7, winning by the same margin that Trinity had (final score 17-10) only a few days before.

The first half was competitive, as Tufts held a slim 5-3 lead when the half time whistle blew. Though it may seem that the 9-4 scoring margin in the second half is not all that substantial, that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Tufts opened the second half by scoring six goals in eight minutes, virtually sealing the fate of the game by going up 11-3. Over the course of the last 20 minutes, Wesleyan outscored the Jumbos 4-3, but by that point the game had already been lost. Offensively, Wesleyan was outshot 23-15 and turned over the ball 21 times to Tufts’ 18. Overall, the game was extremely competitive in the short 10 minutes following the second half restart. Certainly, the doubled nature of the scoreboard does not feel like an accurate reflection of the way in which Wesleyan played. The Cardinals were led on offense by junior Lydia Kring, who notched two goals, bringing her up to fifth on the team with 12 on the year. Claire O’Brian ’12 and Maddy Coulter ’14 also made major contributions, each adding a goal and an assist.

The loss drops the Cardinals down to 5-9 overall and 1-8 in the all-important NESCAC games. Tufts, meanwhile, ascends to fifth (tied with Bowdoin), and a win next week could potentially move the team to fourth place and a home game in the playoffs (providing Amherst loses its next game). The loss to Tufts brings the Cardinals even with Williams and Connecticut College and statistically eliminates the Cardinals from playoff contention. There is still something to play for though, as the winner of the Wesleyan-Connecticut College game this upcoming Wednesday will take ninth, while the loser will likely share the conference basement with Williams.