Thursday, November 13, 2003
Written by Elliott Wiley, Jr. 

NAPOLITANO NAMED TO ALL-NESCAC FIELD HOCKEY SECOND TEAM

MEDFORD -- The All-NESCAC Field Hockey team was released today and while no Jumbo was selected for the first team, in only her sophomore year, forward Lea Napolitano (Waltham, MA/Waltham) was named to the Second Team.

Napolitano was Tufts' leading scorer with a total of 16 points. In addition, she scored the team's most goals (six) and finished in a three-way tie for the team lead in assists (four). Her 16 points were the most by a Tufts player since current assistant coach Colette Gaudet had the same amount in 2000.

The sophomore's offensive numbers were also good enough to rank her among the NESCAC leaders. She finished the season ranked 17th in the NESCAC in points per game (1.07) and 15th in goals per game (0.4).

Napolitano had her best offensive game of the year on September 28 at NESCAC-rival Bates. The Jumbos picked up their second conference win of the season after a 3-1 victory thanks in large part to Napolitano. With 15:38 left in the first half, on a penalty corner play, freshman Tracy Rittenour (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury), found Napolitano, who scored the first goal of the game. In the second half, with 8:17 left and Tufts already up 2-0, Napolitano struck again, this time with the assistance of Dana Panzer (Sayville, NY/Sayville). In the team's final regular-season game of the year at Colby on November 1, Napolitano tallied one goal. However, the goal was not enough for victory as Tufts fell to the White Mules 3-2.

The sophomore forward not only scored, but also assisted on a couple goals during the NESCAC season. In the team's second NESCAC game, Napolitano fired six shots on goal, but was unable to score. However, she did not let that stop her from contributing to the team. With 1:03 left in the first half of Tufts' 2-1 win over Connecticut College, the sophomore posted her first assist of the season. Against Wesleyan, it appeared Napolitano helped give the Jumbos new life after assisting on a game-tying goal with 18:41 left in the second half. However, Wesleyan scored the game-winner with 3:38 remaining.

Tufts, which finished 5-10 overall and 3-6 in the conference, qualified for the NESCAC playoffs. The Jumbos earned the seventh seed and had to face number two seed Bowdoin. The Polar Bears made quick work of the Jumbos in the first round, 6-0.

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