Teams: Field Hockey: Schedule & Results

COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY FINAL SCORE
Tufts 3, Middlebury 1

At Middlebury, VT
Saturday, September 12, 2009

Game Box Score

Junior Jess Perkins tallied the game-winner on a penalty corner opportunity

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- In a game between preseason Top 10 teams in the national poll, #2 Tufts emerged with a 3-1 victory at #7 Middlebury in the season opener for both squads on Saturday afternoon at Kohn Field. With preseason #1 Bowdoin's 2-0 loss at Amherst on Saturday, the Jumbos could move up to #1 in the first poll of the 2009 regular season.

Tufts (1-0), who advanced to both the NESCAC and NCAA Finals a year ago, set the tone early as senior co-captain Margi Scholtes (Grosse Pointe, MI) hit the post before Middlebury goalie Becca Shawn denied Tufts junior Tamara Brown (Annandale, VA) on a fast break. The Jumbos broke through for a 1-0 lead at 17:32 as Brown scored the first goal of the 2009 season on a penalty corner. The visitors held the one-goal lead until halftime.

The Panthers (0-1) came back in the second half as Lauren Greer scored her first career goal after a quick feed from Heather McCormack in transition. Tufts took a 2-1 lead in the 57th minute, with junior Jess Perkins (Barrington, RI) scoring from the top of the circle on a penalty corner. The Jumbos sealed the game late with a tally from sophomore Lindsay Griffith (Wilmington, DE) in transition.

Sophomore Marianna Zak (Concord, MA) ended the day with four saves to earn the win for Tufts, while Shaw made five stops in the Panthers' cage. Tufts held a 17-6 shots advantage on the day, while Middlebury led by an 8-4 margin in penalty corners.

The Jumbos play their home opener on Tuesday afternoon against Babson at Bello Field. Game time is 4:30 pm. Middlebury also plays on Tuesday at Springfield.

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