Box Score EWING, N.J. – The Tufts University women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA "Sweet 16" for the first time since 2005 with a 2-0 victory at The College of New Jersey on Sunday afternoon at Lions Stadium.
Head coach Martha Whiting's Jumbos won today's NCAA second-round contest by scoring twice in the final 20 minutes of the game. Tufts plays NESCAC rival Williams College in the "Sweet 16" next Saturday. The site for the sectional round has not yet been determined. The Ephs advanced past MIT on penalty kicks today.
The NCAA Regional host Lions entered the week ranked seventh nationally with a 0.33 goals against average, and for large portions of today's game it was clear why. They limited Tufts to six shots and did not allow the Jumbos a corner kick.
However, Tufts (14-3-2) took advantage of two late opportunities to win. On the first, the Jumbos were awarded a free kick near the right sideline about 20 yards up from the end line. Junior Liz Reed sent the ball into a small pack of players at the top of the box and it bounced to the feet of freshman Claire Wilkinson. She was able to put it in shooting position from 10 yards out and scored her first collegiate goal in the 73rd minute for a 1-0 Jumbo lead.
The host Lions put a pair of shots off target in the next 10 minutes before a lovely combination led to a big insurance goal for Tufts. Sophomore Lily Sykes won an attempted clear by TCNJ, and give-and-go passing from junior Hannah Isenhart to classmate Sophie Lloyd resulted in Lloyd's ninth goal of the year in the 84th minute. The Lions had surrendered two goals in a game only twice previously this fall.
Jumbo freshman goalkeeper Hayley Bernstein made her third and final save of the day on a shot by Lions junior Randi Smith with 4:18 remaining in regulation and Tufts was soon celebrating the victory.
The win was a measure of revenge for anyone who has followed the Jumbos closely over the years. It was TCNJ who defeated Tufts 2-1 on a goal with three seconds left in the 2000 NCAA Championship Game at the Jumbos' Kraft Field. Then in 2005 TCNJ eliminated Tufts from NCAA's with a 3-0 "Sweet 16" victory.
Today it was the Jumbos doing the spoiling against a TCNJ squad that has won three titles and was making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Lions were ranked fourth in the most recent United Soccer Coaches national poll. Tufts is 13th.
The Lions outshot the Jumbos 14-6 today, but only put three of them on net. They also received seven corner kicks, but could not capitalize. The shutout is the ninth of the year for Tufts. All three of Bernstein's saves came in the second half. She made two of them within 30 seconds of each other 20 minutes into the second half.
Tufts had nearly grabbed a 1-0 lead just 11 minutes into the game when Reed found herself 1v1 against TCNJ senior GK Nicole DiPasquale. The keeper charged out to block the shot, one of her two saves on the day.
The Lions finished their 2019 campaign with a 17-2-1 record.
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