Oct. 30, 2008

By: Amy Farnum Novin

NCAA.com

The Tufts University women's field hockey team and its' star forward Tamara Brown are not only back on the national scene this season, but proving that they are better than ever.

After posting a program-record 13 victories and claiming its first NCAA Division III Tournament victory in 2007, the Jumbos are on the verge of topping those feats this year. 

The fourth-ranked Jumbos boast a perfect 12-0 record, including wins against nationally-ranked opponents like New England Small Conference Athletic Conference foes Trinity and Middlebury, with just one regular season game remaining against No. 1 Bowdoin on Oct. 31.

Tufts has achieved all this with an extremely young team - 16 of its 25 members are either sophomores or freshmen - but head coach Tina McDavitt is confident that her squad's determination take the program to the next level.  McDavitt credits a team trip to Africa last May with one of the reasons for her team's cohesiveness, not to mention their dedication to improve.

"They work really hard and are very self-motivated to be successful," said head coach Tina McDavitt.  "They get out there and they get it done."

Brown, who tied the program's single-season mark of 18 goals earlier this week, believes experiencing success last year is a huge reason that the team is flourishing.

"I think it took last season to have the kind of season we're having this season," said Brown.  "Last year was a breakthrough season in its' own way and proved to us how good we are.  This year, we've been building off that.  We spent the spring knowing what goals we wanted to accomplish in the fall.  We set really high expectations for ourselves.  We're expecting to win rather than hoping to win against hoping to win against every team we play."

Last year, the Jumbos defeated perennial power Middlebury during the regular season, and were one of only three teams to score against Bowdoin, who topped Middlebury in the final game of the NCAA Championship to win its first national title.

"It was a realization that we're pretty good," said McDavitt.  "I think we knew it, but last year showed it."

Brown is a shining example of that dedication to be successful.  The sophomore from Annandale, Va., suffered an ACL tear right before the Jumbos were set to enter the postseason last year.

"It was really tough for us, because she was our first freshman off the bench and she had started to really break out the last few games of the season," said McDavitt.  "To have that happen was a little tragic right before the tournament."

Brown showed up in McDavitt's office the day after the injury, asking how she could rehabilitate her knee. 

"She was so frustrated to have torn it, but so determined to come back and be even better," said Brown.  "She's really come back and been force."

Although Brown leads the team in scoring, she is not the Jumbos' only option.  Amanda Russo and Michelle Kelly, who have each netted 10 goals this season, are also solid scoring threats for Tufts, which paces the NESCAC with 37 goals.

"Tamara is doing a fantastic job, but we're not relying on her to get the game-winning goal every single game," said McDavitt.  "Our three forwards are fantastic and all of them are doing a great job.  I think that's why we're hard to beat - if one of them is having an off-day, it doesn't matter because someone will step up and get the goal."

The Jumbos', who entered the week as the nation's fifth-best scoring team with 4.39 goals per game, will be tested against Bowdoin's stingy defense.  The Polar Bears have allowed just five goals in 13 games this season.

"It's going to be really competitive," said McDavitt.  "We're fighting not only to have a perfect regular season, but also to secure first place in the league, and to beat Bowdoin for the first time in about 10 years.  It's a huge game and they're an excellent team."

Tufts will travel to Bowdoin on Oct. 31 for a 5 p.m. regular season finale.  The contest will decide the top seed in the NESCAC Tournament, which begins Nov. 2.