Teams: Field Hockey: Press Releases

Monday, September 11, 2006

KUTCHER EARNS NESCAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD IN OPENER

MEDFORD -- Tufts University sophomore Marlee Kutcher (Chevy Chase, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) got the 2006 field hockey season off on the right foot for herself and for the Jumbos Saturday. She scored two goals and added an assist for five points in the team's 4-1 victory against Colby College at Bello Field.

By figuring in three of the four goals on the opening weekend of play in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Kutcher was selected as the conference's Player of the Week. She was one of three NESCAC players to score twice in games on Saturday, but the only one who had a five-point day. She is the first Jumbo to win the award since current assistant coach Dana Panzer was named on October 4, 2004.

For the Jumbo offense, which lost three of its top five scorers from a year ago to graduation, the four goals sparked by Kutcher's work on penalty corners were a sign that they can be very productive this season. That is more goals than the team scored in all but two games last season. For Kutcher, it's a fantastic debut as a starter. She played in nine games last season, but spent most of the season on the bench behind senior players. The "inbounder" on penalty corners for Tufts this season, she takes the hit from the end line and then finds a spot on the post, which puts her in good position to score. That was definitely the case on Saturday.

It was Colby that went out to a 1-0 lead early in the game. Kutcher's first goal in the 10^th minute off a penalty corner opportunity evened the score at 1-1, driving one into the lower left corner of the cage. Kutcher assisted the next Tufts score, setting up freshman Michelle Kelly (Downingtown, PA/Downington West), also on a penalty corner, with six minutes to play in the half. Kutcher's final contribution made the final score 4-1 score.

Kutcher joined Panzer and current teammate Ileana Casellas-Katz (Denmark, ME/Fryeburg Academy) as Jumbos to score five points in a game during the tenure of head coach Tina McDavitt. Tufts continues its homestand on Wednesday against Wellesley College at Bello Field.

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