|
Teams: Women's Soccer: Team
Overview
The Tufts University Women's Soccer program is well established in
New England and on the national level. The Jumbos have advanced to two
NCAA Tournament final fours under Coach Martha Whiting, now in her
ninth season. The Tufts programs impressive winning tradition includes
only two losing records in 28 seasons.
During Whiting's tenure, her teams have compiled an 88-37-11 record for
a .688 winning percentage. The 2006 Jumbos posted their 12th consecutive
winning season and finished second in the competitive New England Small
College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). They lost just one game during the
conference schedule. In 2005, Tufts earned its fourth NCAA Tournament
berth and won the NCAA New England title for the third time and the NCAA
Sectional title for the second time. Leading scorer Ariel Samuelson was
selected as a First Team All-American and was named NESCAC Player of the
Year. Whiting was voted the conferences Coach of the Year for the
second time.
Tufts hosted the NCAA final four on Kraft Field in 2000, and the
Jumbos lost to perennial power College of New Jersey on a last-second
goal in the championship game. Whiting was named National Soccer Coaches
Association of American (NSCAA) Division III National Coach of the Year
that season. The program has a 9-4-3 record in the NCAA Tournament
overall, including appearances in 2002 and 1998.
NESCAC is the nations most competitive small college conference
academically and athletically. The conference is a group of highly
selective liberal arts colleges and universities that share an
academics-first philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. Women's soccer
players at Tufts have consistently received recognition for their
academic efforts. The teams grade point average has been above 3.4 for
the last four seasons. Last fall, seven players were on the NESCAC
All-Academic team.
Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded collegiate
experience to student-athletes. Within its picturesque small-college
campus, Tufts is a major university with an unprecedented diversity of
programs, exceptional faculty and staff, and bright and talented
students, according to President Lawrence S. Bacow. The Athletics
Department sponsors a varsity program of 28 sports that is among the
most competitive in the NCAAs Division III. Tufts finished sixth in the
2006 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup, the award presented annually to
the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. The
Universitys proximity to a world-class city renowned for its academic
institutions is also a major draw.
Whiting graduated from Tufts in 1993 after four seasons as an all-star
goalkeeper. She was the team's MVP three times and still holds the
program's records for career saves and fewest goals allowed in a season.
She worked for six seasons as an assistant coach under Bill Gehling and
was promoted to head coach when Gehling was named Athletic Director at
Tufts in July 1999. Whiting has National and Advanced Diplomas from the
NSCAA.
The 07 Jumbos lose just three starters from last year. Midfielder
Martha Furtek, an All-Conference selection in each of her three seasons
so far, returns for her senior season. Center-back Annie Benedict, who
joined Furtek on the All-New England team last fall, leads a stellar
defensive group that includes Joelle Emery, Rebecca Abbott, Jessie
Wagner and Julia Brown. Junior Lauren Fedore led the team with nine
goals last season.
Kraft Field, home to the Jumbos, was a gift to the University made by
New England Patriots and Revolution owner Robert Kraft and his family in
the 1980s. Tufts also has the new Bello Field turf for games and
practices during inclement weather.
|