Medford, Mass. -- In a game between two of the top-five
teams in the nation who were both undefeated and battling for
first place in New England Small College Athletic Conference
(NESCAC), Bantam junior forward Christy Bradley (Wellesley,
Mass.) scored two goals and sophomore goalkeeper
Gina Dinallo (West Hartford, Conn.) made 15 saves
to lead No. 5-ranked Trinity College over the No. 3-ranked
Tufts University Jumbos, 2-1, in overtime this afternoon.
The game lived up to its billing. In the first half, both teams
played stingy defense and allowed few quality scoring chances. Only
13 total shots were fired in the first half as much of the play was
in the center of the field. However, with 7:00 remaining, Tufts
senior Michelle Kelly (Downington, Pa.)
intercepted a Bantam pass and blasted a shot just inside the near
post to give the Jumbos a 1-0 lead. The Tufts lead would
stand until the half. The hosts held and edge in penalty corners
7-1 and outshot the Bantams 9-4 for the first 35 minutes.
In the second half, play intensified in front of a large crowd
at Bello Field. A little more than 10 minutes into the period,
Trinity found a loose ball in front of the Tufts cage and
first-year Alanna Capasso (Weston, Mass.) made a
short pass to Bradley who buried it to tie the game at 1-1. The
goal seemed to increase in intensity even more as both teams
had good chances but to no avail. The game went to overtime, the
first for Tufts this fall and the third time for Trinity.
In the extra period, both teams had several chances to win as 12
total shots were taken overall. Trinity, however, finished off the
comeback with 7:01 remaining as Capasso found a streaking Bradley
and she slid the ball under Tufts goalie Marianna Zak
(Concord, Mass.) to give the Bantams the victory.
Trinity now stands alone in first place with a 7-0 NESCAC mark
and an 11-0 record overall. The loss is the first of the year for
the Jumbos and ends their 30-game regular-season unbeaten streak.
They fall to 10-1 overall and 6-1 in the league. The Jumbos
finished with a 24-16 advantage in shots and 19-8 in penalty corner
attempts. Dinallo made five saves in each period for the Bantams.
Zak finished with eight saves for Tufts.
Hartford
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