The women’s field hockey team concluded its season on Saturday, Oct. 27 with a heartbreaking playoff loss to second-seeded Tufts University. After scoreless play for over 60 minutes, Tufts was able to score two back-to-back goals and come away with the narrow 2-0 victory. The Jumbos earned their 14th consecutive victory, and their quest for the NESCAC title continues on Saturday, Nov. 3 with a game against third-seed Bowdoin.
The Jumbos held possession in the first half, but goaltender Tori Redding ’13 was able to turn away every shot on goal. Tufts led in shots in the first half 5-1.
Early in the second half, the Cardinals were able to gain some momentum through their offensive pressure. Blair Ingraham ’14, Ashley McLaren ’13, and Mackey Hemphill ’15 all got off attempts on the net, but the Jumbo goalie was able to turn away these scoring opportunities.
Despite the heavy offensive pressure from the Cardinals in the second half, the Jumbos were the first to break the stalemate at 59:08. Less than two minutes later, the Jumbos responded with another goal, creating a 2-0 deficit for the Cards.
Neither teams registered another shot on net for the remainder of the contest. The final shot count was in favor of the Jumbos 11-6, and penalty corners were also in favor of the Jumbos 10-1.
The game would be the last for five key senior members of the Cardinals’ team: Averill Roberto, Ashley McLaren, Taryn Murray, Chantal Ferguson, and Tori Redding. The seniors have contributed tremendously this season on all areas of the field.
Offensively, the seniors hold the top three spots on the team in overall points. Roberto leads the team with eight goals and four assists for a total of 20 points. McLaren is a close second with a total of 18 points coming from seven goals and four assists. Murray made six Cardinal goals and four assists for a total of 16 points.
Goaltender Redding started in her 60th consecutive contest and played all but 35 minutes in net over four seasons. That adds up to 4,280 minutes of work. She also posted a career 1.55 goals-against average and .82 save percentage. Ferguson was a force on defense, playing and starting 39 games over three years.
The Cardinals conclude the 2012 season with a 7-8 overall record and a 4-6 NESCAC record.