JWU Field Hockey Narrowly Misses NCAA Tournament First-Round Upset Over Tufts
Making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament, JWU fell to the Tufts Jumbos, 1-0, on a late fourth-quarter goal to end the Wildcats' season at 17-4.
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Courtesy of JWU Athletics Communications
MEDFORD, Mass. - Making its first appearance in the NCAA tournament, the Johnson & Wales Field Hockey team fell to the Tufts Jumbos 1-0 on a late fourth quarter goal. JWU finishes the season 17-4 while the Jumbos improved to 14-4.
The Wildcats and Jumbos played to a scoreless first period, with Madison Flaxington (Lincoln, R.I.) making six saves in goal. In the opening moments of the game, Tufts drove down the left side of the field and had a deflected shot head towards goal, but Haley Budenas (Toms River, N.J.) kept the score tied at 0 with a defensive save.
JWU's defense stayed strong in the second frame, with the Jumbos staying on the front foot. Flaxington made one more save in the period while Katie Sloan (Ellicott City, Md.) made a defensive save of her own, keeping 0-0 score into the halftime break.
Neither team was able to break the deadlock in the third frame, but JWU was able to create more chances. Halfway through the period, Jillian Miele(Wilmington, Mass.) drove the ball from midfield towards the Tufts goal, passing multiple Jumbo defenders on the way, but was unable to find the final shot.
In a back and forth final period, the Wildcats and Jumbos traded offensive attempts until the Jumbos earned a penalty corner with just over three minutes remaining. The Jumbos were able to create pressure in front of the net and convert the penalty corner, taking a 1-0 lead. JWU continued to battle but were unable to overcome the deficit in the last three minutes.
The Wildcats season ends with a 17-4 overall record. The team won its first ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference title, and had 14 regular season wins, the most in program history.