Date: Monday, October 23, 2000
WOMEN'S SOCCER, FIELD HOCKEY TO PLAY IN NESCACs
MEDFORD – For the first time in its history, the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is conducting championship tournaments in the sports of women's soccer and field hockey. They begin on Tuesday (Oct. 24), and both Tufts University teams have earned one of the seven berths into each tournament.
The top seed in each tournament receives a first-round bye and hosts the semi-final and championship games this weekend (Oct. 28-29). The Tufts women's soccer team finished third during the NESCAC regular season with a 7-2 record and will play and will play fifth seed Bates (5-4) on Tuesday at 2 pm. The field hockey team placed fifth during the regular season at 4-5 and will travel to number four Wesleyan (6-3) on Tuesday at a time to be announced. Middlebury is the top seed in women's soccer and Bowdoin is the top seed in field hockey. The fields will be re-seeded after the quarterfinal games. The NESCAC Champion will receive an automatic berth into the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Martha Whiting's women's soccer team won more regular-season games than any team in Tufts history this fall. The Jumbos enter the NESCAC Tournament with a 12-2 record and were ranked third in New England this week. With losses only to Middlebury and Bowdoin, Tufts posted a 2-0 win against Bates on October 1. They have won five straight games and 10 of their last 11.
Senior All-American candidate Sara Yeatman (Santa Monica, CA/Harvard-Westlake) leads the Jumbos in scoring with eight goals and two assists for 18 points. She scored both goals in the win against Bates. Senior goalkeeper Randee McArdle (East Nassau, NY/New Lebanon) sports a 0.84 goals against average and shares the Tufts career record with 20 shut outs.
Head coach Carol Rappoli's field hockey team finished 8-6 during the regular season and has upset potential. They were 2-1 winners on Saturday (Oct. 21) over Williams, which earned the third seed in this tournament as was ranked #9 in the nation at the time. The Jumbos lost 2-1 at second-seed Amherst last Wednesday (Oct. 18) with no time left on the clock at the end of the second overtime.
After not scoring a point in her first three seasons at Tufts, senior co-captain Colette Gaudet (Redding, CT) leads the Jumbos with six goals and four assists for 16 points this fall. She has been sensational on penalty corner opportunities. Senior goalkeeper Dena Sloan (Millburn, NJ) has 31 wins to her credit in more than three seasons as the starter.
Both Tufts teams could qualify for the ECAC New England Playoffs if they do not advance to the NCAA Tournament by winning the NESCACs.
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