Cliffe Stickwomen Down Jumbos, 3-0

Sticks were raised but so were the spirits of the Radcliffe field hockey team as they soundly defeated Tufts, 3-0, posting their first victory of the season.

"Today we just put everything together," remarked coack Debi Field afterwards. "The opportunities were there, and we were able to take advantage of them--something we had been unable to do in previous games."

The victory did not come without struggle. Early on Tufts dominated play as they applied constant pressure to a shaky Crimson defense. The ball remained almost exclusively in Radcliffe territory as the front line seemed unable to gain possession.

Midway through the period, however, the Crimson began to break away on a number of 3-on-2 rushes that challenged Tufts' defense. In a scramble in front of the opponent's goal, Sue McCune finally tipped one home (15:15 unassisted) to put Radcliffe ahead to stay.

The next ten minutes of the period belonged entirely to Radcliffe. Swarming into enemy territory, they consistently beat blue shirts to the ball and began to pepper the Tufts' goalie with harsh drives from within the circle. Tufts mounted a brief counterattack, but the half ended with the Crimson holding a slim lead 1-0.

The second half began with Tufts displaying some nifty stickhandling and pinpoint passing, but Radcliffe's Karen Linsley caught the defense napping. Her drive from ten feet out (3:15) made the score 2-0, and Crimson domination became apparent. Tufts settled down and brought the play to the Cliffie's territory, but key defensive plays by Radcliffe's Ann Dupuis thwarted any major scoring bids.

Frustration

A frustrated Tufts hockey team began to tire midway through the half as Radcliffe defenders easily stopped clearing shots from reaching goalie Carlene Rhodes. Sensing the wave of fatigue, the Crimson offense gathered forces once again. At 25:15, Karen Linsley struck again with a blistering drive from the left side, shattering the last hopes of a Tufts comeback.

Coack Debi Field was pleased that her team was able to break out of its slump. "We had been thinking well, but hadn't been able to couple that thinking with movement and acceleration. Today, feet were moving, and we were running to meet the ball." The team plays Dartmouth here this Saturday in hopes of improving its 1-3-1 record.